TMNT: Turtle Power
by Writing Avenger 2016
Summary: When Chung Li's master Hamato Yoshi was killed by The Shredder, he has a chance to start a new life raising four mutant turtles as the rat, Splinter. However, when the forces of evil threaten the city, these turtles must rise up to become the heroes they were born to be. My take on the TMNT mythos drawing reference from various iterations. specifically the 2K3 and 2K12 cartoons.
1. First Steps

_My name is Leonardo. And right now my brothers and I are in a mess of trouble. Our backs are against the wall in some trash strewn alley as we face down members of the Purple Dragons, the toughest street gang on the east side. These guys have been known take down anyone that gets in their way._

 _They haven't met us._

 _I hold my katana in a relaxed, ready form. To my left are Donatello and Michelangelo, armed and ready with Bo Staff and Nunchucks respectively. Raphael stands to my right with twin sai in hand. I can practically feel his energy surging off him. he's just waiting for an opportunity to attack._

 _"You're going down freaks." Their leader says, spinning a wooden stick. "No one messes with the Purple Dragons. Especially wearing stupid turtle costumes."_

 _He's wrong. We're not wearing costumes._

...

This story begins underground in a well-crafted home carved into a small corner of the NYC sewer system. Here, a man sized rat with a non-existent left ear sat, a jade stick in one hand, and a lit candle in the other. When he spoke, his voice resonated with wisdom and age.

"The greatest ally a ninja can have is the shadows." The rat explained to the darkness around him, "To stray from them and expose your position would spell doom. For today's exercise, try to extinguish this candle without being seen."

Nothing happened at first, but then, the rat heard footsteps quickly approaching. He ducked as a shadowed figure attempted to jump kick him. The figure stumbled as it landed, crashing into a wall.

"Too noisy, Donatello." the rat chastised.

Another figure landed near him, sprinting towards the rat. The rat then moved and tripped him with his stick, sending this new figure crashing into Donatello.

"Too clumsy, Michelangelo." He said as he resumed sitting.

A third one came up running, ready to swing a punch. The rat moved just in time, and the figure tripped into the other two.

"Poor choice, Raphael."

Suddenly, a fourth figure came down from above, kicking the candle out of the rat's hand. As soon as the figure caught it, they blew it out, plunging the room into darkness. Then, the lights came on, revealing the four figures. They were humanoid turtles, each the size of a teenager and each wearing elbow and knee pads, belts and individually colored mask. Each of them also differed physically as well. The one in red was the most muscular of the four, the purple one, the tallest, and the orange one the shortest with freckles across his face. The blue turtle, the one that put out the candle, seemed to be the most balanced of the four. The rat then went over to the blue turtle.

"Well done, Leonardo." The rat complimented.

"Thank you, Master Splinter." Leonardo replied.

The turtle in red, Raphael, walk up to Leonardo, not happy in the slightest.

"Teacher's pet." he insulted in a thick New York accent.

"Ninja dropout." Leo responded, tossing the remains of the now extinguished candle at his brother.

A chorus of ooh's came from Donatello in purple and Michelangelo in orange. Raph tried to get at Leo, wanting to knock the smug look off his face, but Splinter put his staff in the way.

"This is not a competition, Raphael," Splinter instructed. "It is about self-improvement."

"He's right Raph." Mikey said, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. "It doesn't matter who won. What matters, is that you lost."

Unbeknownst to the orange turtle, Splinter went behind him and put his finger under his neck causing him serious pain.

"Ah!" He squealed, speaking quickly. "But what's really important is that we all did our best. Good job everyone!"

Splinter then released him, allowing him to drop to the ground. Mikey rubbed his neck in pain as Splinter just chuckled.

"Gather around my sons." He commanded, "I have something important to say."

The four turtles sat down, circling their rodent master.

"My sons, you have grown strong in your training and have made me proud. As such, you are ready for the next step in your journey."

"Does this mean-?" Leo started to ask.

"Yes," Splinter interrupted, a smile gracing his snout, "You will finally receive your weapons."

The four turtles all shouted with joy as Splinter walked over to a wall. Pressing a large red button, a lifting door slowly moved up, revealing shelves of all kinds of ninja weapons.

"The choice is yours, my sons." He told them. "Choose wisely."

He barely finished his sentence before they all rushed to see what their future weapons would be. Michelangelo saw many that sparked his interest, reminding him of the many kung-fu movies he watched as a kid. He stopped at one set of weapons in particular, a pair of nunchuks.

"Awesome…" he said, picking them up and holding them, "Just like Bruce Lee!"

He spun the weapons around, mimicking the moves of the actor and laughing as he did.

"Ah, the nunchaku." Splinter said from behind him. "They are the weapons of a showman; agile, versatile, and usually underestimated. I think you will use them well."

Mikey looked down at his new weapons and smiled. Meanwhile, Donatello was also searching for his ideal weapon. Some were more interesting than others, especially the sheer number of staff related weapons. He stopped at a plain Bo staff. For some reason, he picked it up and spun it a little. Splinter walked toward him as Donnie stopped.

"I see you have an interest in the Bo staff." He commented, stroking his goatee with a single paw. "Sturdy, strong, and adaptable. A fitting tool for one such as yourself."

Donnie smiled at his sensei's words, looking at the staff with an analytical eye.

"I can see potential for improvements." He noted.

Leonardo skimmed through many weapons as well, both bladed and blunt. He couldn't find one that suited him, until he saw two flat, slightly angled swords.

"Wow." He said in awe, taking the weapons off the wall.

"Ah yes, the Katana swords." Splinter mused, approaching his son, "Their beauty in unmatched and their ferocity in battle, unequaled. They will prove useful to you."

Leo continued studying the sword, twirling them in his hands to get a feel for them. Raph noted Leo's choice and growled. He had wanted the swords, but he knew he wouldn't be able to take them from Leo. Disappointed, he started looking for a different weapon, angrily growling about his brother. Splinter noticed this, and pulled twin sai off the wall.

"Raphael." He called.

The red turtle looked over, just in time to catch the two sai now flying at his face. He looked at the weapons, adjusting his grip so he was holding them properly.

"These twin sai are a common close-quarters weapon. While they do not have the reach of a sword, they are a well-used weapon to counter long range attacks"

Raph felt how well these small weapons fit in his hands. He then spun them around by the prongs, smiling as he did. They weren't swords, but they would certainly do.

"I trust you will use these gifts well. And remember, confrontation must always be a last resort. A true warrior never goes seeking danger, but must be prepared for it."

"Hai Sensei." They all say at once.

Splinter then turned to leave, until Leonardo spoke up.

"Um, Sensei?" Leonardo started.

Splinter turned around to face his sons.

"We were talking..." Leo continued, wringing his hands a bit. "And we thought that maybe... you know, since we've come so far in our training, and now that were all 15, that you'd be willing to let us go to the surface."

Splinter stroked his chin at this notion. He had seen them grow in their training but this was an unexpected request.

"Hmm, the surface eh?" Splinter asked.

"Yeah." Mikey answered quickly.

"Indeed you have come far," Splinter allowed. "But this is an undertaking that would take much more time and training."

"But haven't we trained and worked hard already?" Donatello asked.

"Yes, but an undertaking like this takes a great amount of wisdom that you four do not yet possess."

"But Sensei, doesn't wisdom come from experience?" Leonardo asked.

"Yes."

"And doesn't experience come from making mistakes?" Leonardo continued.

"Yes" Splinter responded again.

"So, we can't gain the wisdom unless we make the mistakes." Leo rationalized. "So, going up may be a good idea after all."

"Yes, and no." Splinter answered causing the turtles to moan. "The mistakes you make up there may not be the greatest to learn from."

"Translation, he's afraid someone might see us." Raphael said sarcastically.

This caused Splinter to snap.

"Of course I am!" He shouted, slamming his stick on the ground. "I have often said the surface world is a dangerous place. Even those who would be our allies would never understand us. What people don't understand, they fear. And what they fear, they destroy."

This made all the turtles look at each other nervously, except Leonardo.

"We know Sensei," he started. "And were very grateful for all that you've done to protect us, but you said yourself. We have grown in our training, and well, we can't spend the rest of our lives down here.

Splinter looked at the innocence in his sons. Finally, he responded.

"You may go, tonight."

The turtles cheered and high five'd, or rather, high three'd each other in excitement.

…

Later that night, they assembled in front of Splinter, each with their respective weapons stored on their person.

"You are going up to a strange and hostile world." Splinter warned. "Remember maintain awareness at all times."

"Hai Sensei!" They all responded at once.

"Always stay together." He interjected as they were about to leave.

"Hai Sensei!" They respond straightening back up.

"Stay in the shadows." He interrupted again.

"Hai Sensei!"

"Don't talk to strangers."

"Hai Sensei!" They responded slightly annoyed.

"Everyone is a stranger."

"Hai Sensei." They responded slightly more annoyed.

Splinter exhaled and said, "Be careful, and good luck."

The turtles headed to the exit and out of the lair.

"And look both ways before crossing the street!" Splinter called out.

…

After a while, the four made their way to a manhole cover. Leo slowly lifted it out of the way. Once fully moved, he peered out to make sure it was safe to go up.

"Hurry up, Leo." Mikey called up. "I don't want to stare at your shell any more than I have to."

Leo just rolled his eyes and climbed out. The others followed after. Once up top, they look around and marveled at the world above.

"Wow."

"This is incredible."

"Sweet."

"Nice."

They continued walking down the street, gazing at the wonders this new world had to offer.

"Wow." Donatello exclaimed peering into an electronic shop. "Look at all the computers. Wait, is that a next-gen X-23 handheld processor?"

"I don't know, Donatello?" Raph responded in a cynical tone. "Is it?"

Donnie took a closer look.

"It is!" he exclaimed.

Just then, the four turtles heard a commotion from inside the store.

"Someone's coming." Mikey shouted.

"Quick to the alley!" Leo ordered.

The four bolted into the alley. Just as they finally got out of sight, a man carrying a pizza shouting at someone inside the store.

"Come on man, I drove for an hour to find this place." The pizza guy shouted.

"I ain't paying for late pizza!" Someone from inside the store shouted.

Frustrated the man threw the pizza in a nearby trash can, then got in his car and drove off. Once he was gone, the four turtles emerged from the alley.

"That was close." Donnie exclaimed.

"We're too exposed out here." Leo noted, turning up to the rooftop. "Come on let's move."

Leo, Donnie, and Raph bolted back into the alley, making their way up to the roof. Mikey, however, stayed behind and grabbed the pizza box the guy threw away. Once the turtles made it to the roof, they were quick to notice that Michelangelo was missing.

"Where's Mikey?" Leo questioned.

Just as he asked that, their brother joined them on the roof carrying a pizza box in his hands.

"Where were you?" Leo asked.

"What are you holding" Donnie inquired as well.

"It's something that guy threw out." Mikey answered. "I think it's called 'Pi-pizza."

Mikey then proceeded to open the box, revealing a pepperoni pizza inside. The four turtles looked at it in amazement.

"What is it?" Leo asked.

"I think it's… food." Donnie answered with the slightest uncertainty.

"Doesn't look like any food I've ever seen." Raph commented.

"Maybe we should try it." Donnie suggested.

"I'm not eating it." Raph interjected.

"I'll eat it." Mikey said grabbing a slice.

Slowly, carefully, he brought the slice to his mouth. Then, he took a tiny bite out of it. The second the bite hit his tongue, his mind exploded. Or at least that's what it felt like. The flavor of the pizza was beyond compare. He quickly scarfed down the rest of the pizza, leaving his brothers in a confused state.

"So?" Raph asked. Is it good?"

"Uh," Mikey responded hesitantly. "No. you guys wouldn't like it. I'll take the rest."

"Hey!" Leo interjected.

"No way!" Donnie responded as well as all four grabbed slices of the pizza until there was nothing left.

"Amazing!" Leo commented.

"Incredible!" Donnie marveled.

"I never thought there'd be anything better the food we had at home, but this is amazing!" Raph added.

"I love it up here!" Mikey shouted.

…

Meanwhile, not too far away, two women were out for a walk in the city. One of them, a young woman in her early 20's with red hair was just finishing up a phone call she'd suddenly received from her father.

"Alright," She conversed. "Gotta go dad. Love ya. Bye."

"It sounds like your dad's pretty happy for you April." The other girl, Irma noted as she hung up the phone.

"Yeah," April responded, putting up the phone. "Though I can't help but think he wishes I got into the family business."

"The store or the science?" Irma asked.

"Pick one." she responded.

"Well you can't blame him for wanting to spend more time with you." Irma responded.

"Like living in the same building isn't enough?"

"Fair point, but still."

"I know." April admitted. "He's always pushed for us to work together since Mom died. And I love him for it. It's just…"

Before she could finish that sentence, the sound of breaking glass rang out from an alley way from across the street.

"Just what?" Irma asked.

April just ignored her before bolting across the street, leaving Irma in the dust.

"April!" Irma called out. "Where ya going?"

"There might be a story over there!" April called about. "Can't pass this up."

"Um…" Irma replied just standing there. "OK! See ya tomorrow!"

…

The turtles were having the time of their lives, racing across the rooftops and leaping from building to building. It was an exhilarating experience for all of them. After being stuck in the sewers all their lives, to have this mobility, this freedom, it was the greatest feeling they ever had. Mikey leaped off one rooftop, doing a triple flip through the air, then making a perfect landing on the ground.

"Ha! Top that bros!" Mikey called back.

"You're on!" Don called back, running towards the edge.

He pulled out his staff and used it to vault over the gap between buildings, sliding on the rooftop as he landed. With one more quick spin of the staff, he holstered his weapon.

"How's that?" Donnie asked, high three-ing his brother.

Leo then followed suit, jumping off the roof, flipping as he goes. He then landed on the roof on his hands, then flips off onto his feet, throwing his hands in the air. The two turtles applauded their brother's feat.

"Nice." Mikey complimented.

"Very well executed." Donnie agreed.

"Thanks boys." Leo responded graciously before calling back to Raphael. "Whatcha got, Raph?"

"Just watch." Raph called back before going to the other side of the roof to get a running start.

Once he was far back enough, he bolted forward. As he reached the edge of the roof, he jumped off and plunged into his brother's shoulder first. Before the others could react, he plowed into them, forcing them all to the ground.

"What was that?" Leo asked getting himself up.

"Yeah! You didn't do any flips or anything." Donnie noted.

"So?" Raph asked, standing up.

Before any of the other turtles could answer, the sound of breaking glass rang out. On impulse, the turtles looked over the ledge. Down on the streets below, a group of eight street punks were breaking into a store.

"Looks like a couple of late shoppers." Raph observed before he pulled out his sai. "What do you say we test out how well these weapons really work?"

"Sweet." Mikey remarked, pulling out one of his Nunchucks.

"Hold it guys." Leo said before anyone could do anything. "Master Splinter told us to stay away from people."

"I don't think Master Splinter would approve of letting street punks walk away with countless dollars of stolen money either." Raph retorted.

"True," Leo admitted. "But we have to be smart about this."

"Whatever we do, we better do it soon." Donnie advised.

"What do you mean, Don?" Leo asked.

Donnie pointed down to the alley, where a young girl with red hair was ducking behind some trash cans pulling out her phone.

"What the shell is she doing?" Raph exclaimed.

"I don't know," Leo remarked. "But we gotta move. Now."

…

Down below, April was making sure to stay out of sight so she could get good footage of the robbery without being seen by the crooks.

"That's it boys. Keep on thieving." April remarked to herself as the crooks made their way out of the store.

"Easiest score we ever made." One of the punks said in enjoyment.

"Yeah. Did you see that guy squirm?" One guy asked, chuckling.

"Shut it!" another one of them, presumably the leader, ordered. "Come on. The boss is waiting for us."

"The boss?" April asked, leaning forward to get a little closer.

Unfortunately, she leaned over a bit too far and knocked over one of the trash can she was hiding behind. The crooks turned around to see her crouched over, a phone in hand.

"Well what do we have here?" the leader asked pulling out a staff. "Someone snooping around where she doesn't belong?"

"Let's teach her a lesson." A punk with a purple Mohawk and 80's visor goggles suggested, pulling out a chain.

They all started to walk over to her, cracking their knuckles and preparing their weapons. Before they could get close enough to hurt her, several throwing stars were tossed at the street lamps above, drowning the alley in darkness.

"Didn't your mothers tell you it's not nice to pick on girls?" a voice rang out.

The punks and April turned to see the turtles, cloaked in shadow standing in a line at the back of the alley.

"Maybe it's you that needs to be taught a lesson." Leonardo finished pulling out one of his swords.

The other turtles followed suit at the sight of the punks walking towards them.

"You're going down freaks." The leader declared twirling his staff. "No one messes with the Purple Dragons. Especially wearing stupid turtle costumes."

With that, the four jumped into the air, crying out. The Purple Dragons look up in terror as the turtles descended on them. Leonardo struck one of them with the hilt of his sword, and another with a kick to the head on the way down.

Once he landed, Donatello struck a third in the stomach with his staff before spinning around and striking him on the back of the head, knocking him to the ground.

Two dragons came charging at Raph backing him into a corner. Just as the two reached him, Raph, flipped right over them. As the two turned to face him, Raph tossed his sai at their hands, pinning them to the wall. Before they could pull themselves free, Raph ran towards them and struck them both in the stomach, knocking them out cold. Raph then just pulled out his sai, letting the two goons fall to the ground.

"I'm liking these sai more and more." Raph said, giving them a spin.

One other Purple Dragon dressed in a yellow shirt, brown vest and matching pants, came towards Mikey. As the Purple Dragon swung at him, Mikey jumped out of the way. Once Mikey landed, he spun his chucks around and continually struck the dragon across the face. Once Mikey stopped spinning his weapon, the punk was so disoriented that just one breath of air from Mikey caused him to fall to the ground unconscious.

"What are these freaks?" one Purple Dragon asked, back to back with the leader.

"Doesn't matter. Freaks bleed right?" The leader retorted, charging towards Raph.

The leader swung at Raph with his staff. Raph caught it with his sai and delivered a side kick to the stomach, causing him to crash into the other Purple Dragon. They both fell to the ground in a groaning heap. The leader was about to get up when he saw Leo's sword pointing at his face.

"Yes, we can bleed." Leo answered. "And so will you if you don't beat it. Now!"

The leader then clambered to his feet and bolted. The rest of the Purple Dragons followed suit.

"Yeah, beat it ya punks." Mikey called out as he joined up with his other brothers.

"Come on." Leo ordered. "Let's book."

With that, the four turtles made their way up a nearby fire escape, complimenting themselves along the way. Unbeknownst to them, April had been hiding behind the remaining trash cans during the fight, unable to see who the four 'people' who saved her.

"What was that?" she asked, following them up the fire escape.

…

"We were awesome!" Leo said, coming up onto the roof.

"Righteous!" Mikey added, joining him.

"Wicked!" Raph continued.

"Bossa nova!" Donnie exclaimed, coming onto the roof as well.

This caused all the turtles to turn to him.

"Bossa nova?" Mikey asked. "Really Donnie?"

"Chevy nova?" Donnie suggested, raising his arms.

The turtles just shook their heads.

"Ummm…" Donnie pondered for a second. "Excellent!"

That got the approval from the others.

"Did you see the look on that guy's face when Leo told him to scram?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, I thought he was gonna pee himself." Mikey commented.

"And not a sole to hear their cries." Donnie noted.

"Like shadow in the night," Leo began to brag. "We move completely unseen."

Just as the four high-three'd, they saw a bright light go off near the fire escape.

"What was that?" Leo hissed, the four still frozen in high-three mode.

"It's a camera flash." Mikey answered slowly

On the fire escape, April tried to take a look at the photograph she had just taken. She couldn't believe her eyes as the image showed what appeared to be four large turtles.

"What on earth…?" she started to ask.

Before she could finish, she felt something grab her by the shirt and pull her onto the roof. She landed hard, then regained her composure in time to see a giant turtle in a red mask standing over her.

"Hand. Over. The camera." He demanded through gritted teeth.

April's eyes were as big as dinner plates, her palms sweaty as the camera slid from her grasp, clattering to the ground. Her legs felt like jelly as her brain seemingly short circuited.

"I…" she tried to say.

Before she could utter another syllable, her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumbled to the ground unconscious. The four turtles stared at the now unconscious woman before Mikey swatted Raph on the arm.

"Nice going Raph." The orange turtle chastised.

"How was I supposed to know she'd pass out?" Raph argued.

"Well threatening her like a corrupt cop doesn't exactly an ideal strategy." Donnie snapped, snagging her fallen phone off the ground and pressing a few buttons.

"Eh you're just saying that 'cause you think she's cute Donnie." Raph retorted.

"Do not!" Donnie say in his defense, then he got a good look at April and turned a bit red. "Well…"

April slowly stirred, regaining consciousness. She could sort of make out the voices of the four turtles, though they were slightly blurry and distant.

"Oh hey, she's coming around." Donnie observed. "Ma'am, I'd like to apologize for my brothers' abrasiveness."

"Yeah, no manners this one." Mikey commented before Raph smacked him upside the head.

"What are you?" she asked as she sat up, still a little dazed.

"Well Miss," the blue one started. "We're ninjas."

"We're mutants." The red one added.

"Well, technically we're turtles." The purple one tried to correct.

"Oh, and we're teenagers." The orange one added on. "Don't know why I said that. Just thought I'd add that."

"Wait," she started, slowly getting up. "You're… Ninja… Mutant… Turtle… Teenagers?"

"Well when you put it like that it sounds ridiculous." Donnie commented while April reached for her phone, but couldn't find it.

"Looking for this?" she heard Raph ask as he snatched the phone from Donnie, approaching her.

"No, no, no." she pleaded, hesitantly reaching for her phone. "Please don't break it."

He just tossed it to her. She fumbled a bit, but managed to keep a hold on it.

"Relax." Leo reassured walking up to her. "We already erased the photo. But, I will ask that you do not say a word of this to anyone."

She looked up at him in a bit of fear.

"If you do, we will find you." Donnie added. "April O'Neil."

With that, Leo backed off and walked over to his brothers.

"Let's go guys." He ordered.

His brothers followed, except Raph who turned back to April.

"Remember, talk and we'll find you." He said.

"Yeah," the orange one said, trying to sound intimidating. "We'll find you. O'Neil."

With that they walked off, until the orange one came running back.

"I'm sorry, that came across super creepy," he apologized. "We will find you though."

With that, he ran to catch up with his brothers, who had already made it clear to the next roof top. April ran to the ledge in shock of what she had seen. She remembered that her phone was still in her hands and tried to take another picture. It was a bit fuzzy, but she got it. However, this still left a lot of questions. Who were these turtle creatures? Where did they come from? And why did they fight those Purple Dragons?

She thought she'd never know, but little did she know, she'd be seeing those turtles again. Real soon.

…

Later that night, in another part of town, a lone man stood in a traditional Japanese dojo, practicing with a sword. He felt at peace. Tranquil. Like nothing else existed, except him and the blade. This peace of mind was interrupted when the door was flung open. The man lowered the sword to see the Purple Dragon leader enter. With him was a large, muscular man in a sleeveless shirt, a dragon tattoo decorating his left arm and a tattoo of a dragon's foot on the other.

"Hun." The man greeted aggravated. "I thought I gave orders not to be disturbed."

"My apologies Nakumo," Hun started. "But this one has something to confess to you."

He nudged the leader forward. Slowly the unfortunate punk walked toward Nakumo.

"The… the job tonight," the leader began. "It was a bust."

Nakumo raised an eyebrow in irritation.

"How is this possible?" Nakumo asked. "How could you screw up a simple smash and grab?"

"We were attacked." The leader answered.

"By whom?"

"Some punks in weird turtle costumes."

Nakumo paused for a moment, raising his sword to look at it.

"Look," the leader started to apologize. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"I know." Nakumo simply said.

In the blink of an eye, Nakumo thrusted his sword into the leader's chest. The punk let out a gargled scream, one that quickly cut off when Nakumo twisted the blade. Once he pulled it out, the leader fell to the floor, dead.

"Have someone come and clean that up on your way out." Nakumo ordered Hun.

"Right," Hun said about to go out, but he turned back to Nakumo. "What about these freaks? Should we tell… him?"

Nakumo hesitated for a minute, not sure what 'he' would do.

"No." he finally answered. "This was just one instance. If these 'turtles' become a recurring annoyance, then we will take the proper steps to destroy them."


	2. A Better Mousetrap

_My name is Donatello. When it comes to new technology, I'm usually super excited about it. But in regards to these bad boys, I'm ready to give it a piece of my mind. My brothers and I were just heading over to Stock-Tronics to have a talk with a 'friend of ours', when suddenly we were ambushed on by Baxter Stockman's latest creation- the Mousers._

 _Normally when I take machines apart, I'd like to be a bit more careful to see how they work. But today, I think it best to give em shell._

…

"Kiss your tail goo...!"

Before Raph could finish that taunt, Master Splinter struck him with his walking stick, sending him careening to the ground.

"You require focus in your attacks Raphael." Splinter instructed. "You'll never win a battle by charging in full force."

After he finished Donnie came running towards him spinning his staff. He continually swung it at his master, but the old rat was too quick for each strike. While his son was attacking, Splinter used his tail to sweep Donnie off his feet, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Best watch your footwork Donatello."

Just then, Leo came from the air swords drawn back ready to strike. Splinter the quickly spun around and smacked him away with his stick.

"Greater speed Leonardo."

Just as he finished speaking, he quickly moved just dodging a swing from one of Mikey's Nunchucks. With every swing, Splinter just side stepped or backed away. Until finally, Splinter side steps from another attack and trips Michelangelo with his tail, sending him flying into the wall.

"Try not to be so impatient Michelangelo."

The four slowly got back up nursing their bruises. Splinter then walked to his room.

"I believe that is enough for today." He decided. "We will resume your training in the morning."

With that Splinter entered his room and closed the door.

"Huh, 'we will resume your training in the morning'." Mikey repeated mimicking Splinters voice.

"I heard that!" Splinter called back.

"Busted." Donnie said taunting.

...

Later, the turtles were in their living room going about their individual business. Leo was polishing his sword, Donnie was putting some finishing touches on a specialized communication device he invented, the shell cell, Raph was wailing on a punching bag that was setup in the room, and Mikey was going through his personal DVD collection looking for the perfect late night movie. Leo took notice of this.

"Can't figure out what to watch Mike?" he asked.

"No." Mikey responded. "What's a turtle gotta do to find a good flick to... wait!"

He then pulled out a DVD.

"Jet Li's Kung Fu fighters?" Leo questioned. "Really Mikey?"

"What? It's light on story and heavy on gory." Mikey rationalized grabbing the remote. "Just what I'm looking for."

Just as he turned on the TV, all the turtles evening plans were cast aside when they saw a familiar face.

 _"This is April O'Neil for Channel 6 News."_

Whoa." Mikey exclaimed gaining the attention of the other turtles.

"It's the girl we saw last night." Donnie exclaimed.

"And she's a news lady?" Raph asked.

 _"I'm here today at Stock-Tronics laboratories where founder and CEO, Dr. Baxter Stockman, is here to unveil his latest invention."_

...

"So Doctor," April began to ask. "You claim that this device will solve the cities rat problem. How exactly can your device do what hundreds of exterminators couldn't do for years?"

"Well Miss O'Neil," Stockman began to answer. "A wise man once said 'Build a better mousetrap, and the world will lead a path to your door.' Well, today I intend to do just that."

Stockman walked over to a small object covered by a sheet as April and her camera man came over.

"Behold, the answer to New York City's solution to vermin as we know it." He exclaimed before pulling off the sheet to reveal what looked like a tiny robot with two legs, an oval shaped head, and razor sharp teeth.

"The Stock-Tronics Mouser."

April looked at the device in astonishment.

"Incredible." She complimented. "How does it work?"

Stockman picked up the Mouser and walked over to a small maze.

"At present, there are a number of rats scurrying through the maze." He explained placing his device into the maze. "Using thermal imaging, my Mousers can track down these rodents and exterminate the pests with impeccable speed."

After he put the Mouser in the maze, it quickly took off down the hallways looking for its prey. After a bit of looking it finally spotted a rat and went after it.

...

The turtles winced at the site of the Mouser 'exterminating' its prey.

"I'd hate to be a rat in this city." Mikey sated. Earning him looks from his brothers. "No offense to Sensei."

With the turtles turned back to the screen.

 _"With this computer terminal, I can monitor all the Mouser activity from here."_ Stockman explained.

 _"Thank you Dr. Stockman."_ April responded turning back to the camera. _"We'll have more on this story when we come back. This is April O'Neil, Channel 6 News."_

 _"Thanks April."_ The anchorman said coming on screen. _"In other news, the mysterious string of robberies continue across-"_

With that, Leo turned off the TV and turned back to his brothers.

"Well it seems like we might have a problem." Leo stated.

"You think she's told anyone about us?" Mikey asked.

"If she had, I think we'd be on the 6:00 news by now." Donnie rationalized.

"Besides it's not like anyone would believe her." Raph added. "We destroyed the photo she took of us right?"

"Right." Donnie confirmed pausing for a moment. "Although..."

"Although?" Leo repeated questioning its meaning.

"Although the possibility exists that the photo we erased wasn't the only one she had."

The four turtles paused at the revelation of this possibility.

"So..." Mikey started. "What do we do?"

"I don't know." Leo admitted. "But we have to think smart about this."

The other turtles nodded.

"And we don't tell Splinter." He added.

"Don't tell Splinter what?"

All four turtles jumped at the sound of the voice. They all slowly turned around to see their rat sensei standing outside the dojo.

"So... what is it you don't want to tell me?" Splinter asked.

"Nothing?" Mikey tried to answer.

"So there isn't anything you'd like to tell me about your excursion to the surface last night?" Splinter continued to press.

"Mmmmm, not really no." Leo answered.

Splinter paused for a moment.

"Then you would not mind a little extra training tonight."

"Um..." Raph pondered. "Sure. What like sparring, or a few more katas?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of... The Hashi."

This got the turtles standing up in surprise.

...

"And we're out." Vernon, April's cameraman stated lowering his camera. "Nice job April."

"Thanks Vernon." April responded. "Come on, I want to have enough film for the next interview."

With that, the two walked off towards their news van outside.

"So," Vernon started. "Irma said you went to cover some robbery last night and vanished."

"Oh yeah. That." She responded a bit nervously.

"So what happened?" he asked.

April hesitated, fearing how he will respond to his answer.

"I... found some Purple Dragons robbing a store." She finally answered.

"Really?" he questioned. "You saw a robbery in progress and just left?"

"Well..." she tried to respond, "Not exactly. I was...kinda...caught."

"Well how did you get away?"

"Uh... I was saved by some heroic citizens that were passing by." She answered as they walked out the door. "And who says everyone in the big apple looks the other way, right?"

"And you didn't consider that newsworthy?" Vernon asked as he opened up the back of the news van.

"Well these guys are... difficult to talk about."

"How difficult."

"Difficult to the point that if I take this to Burne, I might as well clear out my office tonight."

This caught Vernon a bit.

"I see." He responded slowly. "So... what are they... aliens or something?"

"Very funny." April responded sarcastically. "No they're... well it's hard to describe them."

"Try me."

"Look can we talk about this later?" April asked getting a bit fed up with the topic of discussion. "We have a job to do here."

"Alright fine." Vernon finally relented.

"Get setup in the lobby," she instructed heading back inside. "I'll find Dr. Stockman."

...

"Anyone else feel like we're getting punished?"

At this point the turtles were inclined to agree with Michelangelo. Each one of them was set up in a very precarious position. Leo had his legs in a split on two separate blocks while holding small balls with chopsticks. Raph was knitting while balancing on a small tricycle with one foot. Donnie was crouching on a spinning platform while bouncing a ping pong ball back and forth with paddles. Mikey was doing a hand stand on a swivel chair that was spinning around.

"Nonsense," Splinter brushed off. "The Hashi is a time honored training method. It teaches endurance, discipline, and balance of both body and mind. There is no reason not to partake in its challenge... Unless there is something you want to tell me about last night."

"Something we want to tell you?" Mikey asked.

"Of course not Sensei," Leo persisted. "We just went out for a bit, found out what pizza is and came back home."

"Are you certain?" Splinter asked almost sarcastically.

"Positive." Leo answered sporting a nervous grin on his face.

Splinter just looked at him for a moment.

"Very well." He responded before walking out of the room. The turtles looked at each other with nervous looks on their faces.

"Think it's cool to stop now?" Mikey asked starting to get tired.

"I wouldn't risk it." Leo suggested.

"Guys, I'm starting to wonder if all this is worth it." Donnie confessed. "Maybe we should just tell Sensei."

"Tell him what?" Raph asked sounding aggravated. "That we got discovered by a news reporter on our very first trip to the surface? Do you have any idea what he'd do to us? It'll make this seem tame."

"Let's just keep cool here." Leo suggested. "We'll be fine as long as no one breaks."

"I ain't breakin if Donnie's not breakin." Raph said continuing to knit.

"A little nauseous," Donnie confessed still spinning. "But still not breaking."

"Mikey?" Leo asked.

"Relax guys," Mikey reassured. "I am in the zone right not. There is literally nothing that can break me right now."

Right after he said that, a pizza box landed on a table right in front of Mikey.

"Starting to break." Mikey quickly admitted.

"Leonardo told me you experienced pizza for the first time last night." Splinter said with a strange tone to his voice. "I must say, you made an excellent choice for your first food on the surface. This is my personal favorite."

With a dramatic flip of the box, he opened it to reveal a large pizza. Covered with cheese, pepperoni, and a larger crust then the one the turtles had last night.

"What is it?" Mikey asked mesmerized.

"This is a five cheese pizza," Splinter informed.

"Mikey!" Raph yelled.

"With pepperoni," Splinter continued taking a slice out of the box. Mikey licked his lips in desire.

"Don't you dare!" Donnie ordered.

"And stuffed crust." Splinter finished taking a bite.

Finally Mikey had enough.

"Okay, okay!" Mikey finally relented. "On our way home we saw some guys robbing a place! We kicked their butts and got our picture taken by a reported named April O'Neil! But we took care of it!"

Splinter was dumbstruck by what his son just said.

"What!" Splinter shouted.

The yell was so great it caused the four turtles to fall off their respective activities on top of one another.

"It's not that big a deal Sensei." Leo tried to reassure. "Donnie was able to erase the photo so we should be good."

"The fact that you were seen at all is reason enough for things not to "Be good"." Splinter scolded. "You are ninja. You live in the shadows. In secrecy. This becomes possible when there is prove of your existence for the world to see."

"So what should we do Sensei?" Leo asked.

"... Nothing." Splinter finally said.

All four turtles looked at each other with confusion.

"Nothing?" they all asked at once.

"This is a delicate situation," He explained walking out of the room. "We can't afford letting anyone else seeing you. So until this incident blows over... you are grounded."

With that Splinter closed the door, leaving the turtles alone with this. Their thoughts were interrupted at the sound of Mikey eating the pizza Splinter left.

"Well that could've been worse." Mikey said while eating one of the slices.

...

April was walking through the halls of Stock-Tronics looking for Stockman's office. While well-lit and well kept, she couldn't help but get an ominous feel about the place. The place felt cold, and empty. Finally she reached two large double doors that had a sign next to them that said

'Baxter Stockman, CEO' on it. April smiled at the sight of her destination. She walked towards the door and was about to knock when she heard voices coming from inside.

"I can assure you that everything is proceeding on schedule." A voice that sounded like Stockman said.

 _"I should hope so."_ An unknown, gravely, and threatening voice responded over what she assumed was a phone or computer. _"Considering how much money I have invested in this 'project'."_

April leaned against the door trying to hear the conversation better.

"I promise master, this will be money well spent. Providing I get my cut."

 _"Do not presume too much Stockman. When will the next wave of mousers be ready?"_

"As we speak 250 mousers are finishing construction. They will be ready for deployment momentarily."

"250?" April questions in whisper. "That's a bit excessive."

 _"Do not disappoint me Stockman."_ The Master threatened. _"Or you won't live to regret it."_

April gasped at that statement.

Unfortunately, Stockman heard it inside the room.

 _"What is it?"_ The Master asked.

"Just a minor annoyance." Stockman shrugged off. "I'll deal with it."

With that, Stockman ended the communication and proceeded to the door. He opened it to see April walking away.

"Ms. O'Neil." Stockman called out, causing April to stop in her tracks.

"Dr. Stockman." April called back nervously as she turned around. "Hi, I was just looking for your office. I didn't know this was it."

"Indeed." Stockman said in a suspicious tone. "I take it you're ready for our next interview."

"Yeah everything's setup outside" April said gesturing the other way. "Why don't we head out and-?"

"Actually," Stockman interrupted. "I was hoping we could conduct the interview in here."

He walked towards his desk as April walked back into the room.

"Why?" she asked as Stockman made his way to his computer. "All my equipment is outside."

"Let's just say I'd like to keep this interview off the record." Stockman answered typing on his computer.

Once he finished, the bookcase on the wall opened up revealing a secret elevator. April's eyes widened in surprise at this revelation, wondering just what she had gotten herself into.

...

Donnie peered outside his room looking around the lair. It seemed everyone was asleep by this point. Once he was sure he was alone, he bolted towards the entrance. Just as he reached it however, Raphael landed right in front of him.

"Raph!" He screamed screeching to a halt. Once he stopped, he tried regaining his composure rubbing the back of his neck. "Hi, uh... nice night isn't it?"

"Yeah," Raph answered coyly. "For a walk."

Donnie froze. He knew Raph knew his plan. So rather than fight it, he breathed and prepared to confess.

"Alright I admit it. I'm going over to Stock-Tronics to find April O'Neil. Just to see if she has any other photos of us."

"Thought so." Raph replied. "But why go it alone?"

"Well Leo would disapprove of the plan, Mikey wouldn't be much help, and... let's face it, you don't have the best people skills." Donnie laid out.

"Even so, I'm coming with." Raph stated. "If for any other reason, then to keep you out of trouble."

Donnie shrugged.

"Alright, but let me do the talking." Donnie instructed. "Now let's go before the others realize we're gone."

"Too late for that."

The two turned around to see Leo and Mikey standing outside the doorway to the lair.

"What? You thought you were the only one with the same idea?" Leo asked.

"Thought you wouldn't approve." Donnie confessed.

"I don't," Leo responded. "But I figured since you wouldn't leave the idea be, might as well make sure you get through it in one piece."

"I see." Donnie noted. "What about you Mikey?"

"I'm just happy to be part of the group." Mikey admitted. Earning smiles from everyone present.

"Ok," Leo started. "We go to Stock-Tronics, Find April O'Neil, destroy any photos of us, make sure she can't get anymore, and get out. Nothing more nothing less."

"We get the deal Leo," Raph said annoyed. "Let's just go."

With that, the turtles went out to find April O'Neil.

...

Who at present, was in a secret elevator with Baxter Stockman, unsure of her destination and what she'd find there. Finally, the elevator reached its destination and opened up. Stockman stepped out first and gestured outwards inviting April to come out.

"Come," He offered. "Take a look at my expanded operation."

'Expanded?' April thought to herself stepping out to a large command center.

She looked out a window to see a massive assembly line creating countless mousers efficiently and expediently. April turned back to Stockman in shock of this revelation.

"Wow Dr. Stockman." She responded quite surprised. "I... I'm impressed. But don't you think this is a little excessive. Rats aren't that big a problem."

"True." Stockman admitted. "But these mousers are designed for more... unique assignments."

April looked out the window again to see a small group of mousers coming inside from what looked like an entrance to the sewers. Once they stopped, each of them opened up a small compartment on their backs and large amounts of money and jewelry fell out. April turned back to Stockman in shock.

"That's...that's a lot of-" suddenly a realization popped into her head. "Wait a minute. The mysterious rash of robberies... that was you?"

"Guilty as charged." Stockman admitted smugly.

"But why?" She asked still confused. "These mousers would make you famous on their own. Why steal?"

"Why settle for a few clams when the whole world is my oyster." Stockman gloated while discreetly reaching into his pocket for a remote. "And as you can see, the pearls are quite lovely."

"You won't get away with this." April shouted, unaware that the window behind her had opened up and a robotic claw was positioned right behind her.

"Oh such spirit April." Stockman complimented pressing one final button on his remote. "You truly will be missed."

"What do you-"April started to ask.

Before she could answer, the claw grabbed her from behind and pulled her out of the observation room over the mousers. She tried struggling but it was no use. She was then dropped onto the mouser assembly line and landed with a grunt. As she slowly got up, she noticed all the mousers on the line were activating, and looking in her direction.

"I'm so sorry to do this Ms. O'Neil," Stockman said in a sarcastic apologetic tone as he typed away on the keyboard. "But you've seen too much and... I have trust issues."

April slowly backed away as the mousers moved towards her. Seeing a fire extinguisher on the wall nearby, she grabbed it and hit a mouser on the head with it, effectively crushing it. Another mouser came towards her and she tried it again. This time, the mouser grabbed the fire extinguisher with its mouth and crushed it. The resulting smoke blinded the mousers. This gave April enough time to make a mad dash to the sewer entrance the mousers came out of. Once their vision was restored, the mousers gave chase to April.

...

The turtles continued down the sewer tunnel in their efforts to seek out Stock-Tronics. Though it seemed slow going.

"Do we have any idea where we're going?" Raph griped.

Donnie took a look at his map to get their bearings.

"Well, Stock-Tronics is on 3rd street," he observed. "And we seem to be... about three blocks out."

Mikey took a sniff of the air and immediately proceeded to plug his nose.

"Smells like we're right up Main Street to me." He joked chuckling.

The other groaned at the bad joke.

"Mikey... that's just disgusting." Leo commented

"What?" Mikey asked.

"Come on," Leo commanded changing the subject. "Let's move."

With that, the turtles continued forward.

...

April meanwhile was running for her life. She looked behind her seeing a vacant sewer tunnel. Though it looked like she had lost the mousers, she could still hear the sound of metal footsteps closing in on her, so she kept running.

Once she had turned a corner, she rested against a wall in hopes of catching her breathe. Even if just for a moment. This rest was cut short however when the footsteps sounded like they were getting closer. She peered around the corner to see the horde of mousers coming towards her at an alarming speed. Wasting no time, she got up and continued running.

...

"Alright we're almost there." Donnie announced.

"So anyone thought about what we're going to do once we get there?" Raph asked. "Set up an appointment with the front desk?"

"We'll think of something." Leo responded sounding annoyed. "Right now let's just worry about getting there."

Just as they rounded the next corner, Donnie and Raph ran right into April, causing the three to fall to the ground.

"Hey we found her." Mikey noted as the three got up.

As April got to her feet, she couldn't believe she was seeing the four turtles again.

"What the..." she said startled, "You guys again?"

"Yeah that's us." Donnie answered.

"Alright, Ms. O'Neil," Leo started. "There are some things we need to discuss."

"No time for that now!" she exclaimed getting behind Donnie and Raph. "They're after me!"

"They?" Mikey asked confused.

"Who's they?" Leo also asked.

April pointed in the direction they came in. Just then, the sound of footsteps was heard by all. The turtles got in a fighting stance prepared to attack as April's pursuer came around the corner. They eased up in confusion to find it was a lone mouser robot.

"That's it?" Raph asked. "That's what's got ya all spooked?"

"Aww." Mikey exclaimed walking over to it. "It's kinda cute."

Mikey reached out his hand to pet it, but quickly retraced it when it tried to bite it.

"Yikes!" Mikey cried out. "That's it."

He drew his Nunchaku and bashed the mouser on the head repeatedly. He stopped once he was sure it was destroyed and turned towards the others.

"Well that was easy." He commented.

The turtles smiled in relief. But those smiles faded almost immediately. Mikey looked behind him to see several mousers rounding the corner towards him. Mikey quickly drew his other Nunchaku as his brothers drew their own respective weapons and charged towards the mousers. April backed away a bit to stay out of the way of the turtles.

Leo leapt forward slicing mousers at the head as he went. Once he landed, he continued to slice at each mouser that surrounded him.

One mouser bit into Donatello's Bo Staff. Donnie then proceeded to raise it into the air and slamming it into the ground, destroying it.

"I must admit, I hate to destroy such amazing technology." Donnie confessed. "And these mousers are incredible. I mean the servo mechanics, the circuitry, the articulation..."

"Yeesh Donnie, why don't you just marry one?" Raph asked sounded irritated.

Raph then proceeded to stab two mousers through the head, than smashed the two together destroying them.

Mikey continued bashing mousers with his nunchuks while backing away from then until he was back to back with Leo.

"These things are so annoying." Mikey complained before turning to Leo. "How do we stop these guys?"

"I find slicing their heads off works pretty well." Leo answered before slicing a mousers head off.

"Great idea." Mikey complimented sarcastically while swatting away another mouser. "For the turtles with the blades."

"Then drive em over here." Raph called as Donnie used his bow to bat a mouser over to Raph who proceeded to stab it with his sai. "We'll slice and dice."

And it went on like that for a bit. Sliced by a sword, Bashed with a Bo Staff., Stabbed with a Sai, and chucked against a wall by nunchuks, the turtles made quick work of the mousers until they were all scrap metal. April walked towards the turtles as they sheaved their weapons.

"Uh...Wow." She remarked. "Thanks. You saved my life."

"Uh... no trouble." Donnie answered a touch nervously.

"It's just what we do." Mikey remarked.

"So what's the deal with you and the mousers?" Raph asked.

"Yeah I thought Baxter Stockman created them to help the cities rat problem." Donnie interjected.

"So did I." April added. "But I got suspicious when I heard Stockman talking to someone he called 'master'."

This got the turtles attention.

"Turns out Stockman's got hundreds of mousers in the sub-levels of his lab, and he's got them stealing cash and jewelry from all over the city."

"I think I remember something about a string of robberies across town." Leo recalled.

"Yeah and he's the brains behind it." April confirmed. "When I found out what he had planned, he sent those things to kill me."

"Oh that is low." Donnie commented.

"Yeah." Mikey confirmed. "And we live in the sewer."

"I think it best we shut down mouser central." Raph declared drawing his sai. "Permanently."

"But how are you gonna get in there?" April asked. "The entrance is hidden. Plus I have to admit I wasn't really paying attention to directions when I was running for my life."

Everyone stopped for a moment to ponder their options. Their thoughts were interrupted however when they heard something from the pile of mouser parts. Evidently one mouser survived and was pulling itself out of the wreckage.

"I got this." Raph declared, about to move forward.

Just then Donnie stepped in front of him.

"Hold it Raph!" he shouted before walking over to it. "I think I have an idea."

He picked it up before it had a chance to go anywhere or bite into anything.

"Raph, toss me a sai." He asked.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Raph asked complying with his brother's request.

"Trust me." Donnie reassured taking the sai and using it to pry open a panel on the underside of the robot. "I just need a few minutes."

A few minutes later, Don closed up the panel and set the mouser back on the ground. It then walked in the direction it came from.

"So whatcha do exactly?" Raph asked taking his sai back.

"I rewired its processor so that it thinks it has a return command." He explained. "We should be able to follow it to Stockman's lab."

"Then let's go!" Mikey yelled. "That little guys faster than he looks."

The four turtles and April gave chase after the robot so they could find the mad scientist laboratory he called home.

...

At last they reached the sewer entrance to Stockman's lab. They could tell because the mouser kept running into one of the sewer walls.

"Well, this is it." Donnie observed.

"So what now?" Leo asked.

"There should be an electronic lock on this side of the wall." Donnie exposited. "If I can find it, I know I can hack it and get the door open."

"Awesome!" Mikey yelled.

"What about me?" April asked.

"I'm afraid this is as far as you go." Leo informed.

"Yeah," Raph confirmed. "We can handle this sort of thing. You can't."

"Oh..." She said sounding somewhat disappointed. "Alright. Well... thanks again."

With that, April walked away from the turtles down the sewer pipe.

"So what do we do when we get in there?" Leo asked. "Odds are Stockman's got a ton of security in there, and I think we've been seen on enough cameras as is."

"Don't worry guys," Donnie reassured reaching into his belt pulling out some egg shells. "I've whipped up a little something to make up undetectable."

"Sorry Donnie, but I think someone already invented the egg." Mikey commented.

"Oh these are not mere eggs Michelangelo," Donnie corrected sounding proud of his work. "They are in fact: Ninja Smoke Bombs!"

Mikey was awestruck of what he just heard.

"Shut up." He said with a smile on his face.

...

Stockman was inputting a new set of commands into the mousers when a communication came in on his computer screen. He looked to see a shadowy figure with a dragon foot symbol on the wall in the background. Stockman immediately recognized who it was.

"Ah Master, I was wondering when you'd call again." Stockman greeted.

 _"I trust your little 'annoyance' has been taken care of."_ The Master inquired.

"Adequately." Stockman reassured. "In fact I was just about to send the mousers out on another little errand.

 _"Excellent. It would seem you do have things under control."_

"I'm insulted you ever thought I didn't."

 _"Just be sure you maintain control. I guarantee you won't enjoy the results otherwise."_

With that, the Master ended the transmission leaving Stockman to his work.

"Pompous fool," stockman griped. "He knows I'm indispensable to his 'organization. And yet-"

Before Stockman could finish his thought, the sewer entrance started opening up. Stockman looked over to see a lone mouser come in from the sewers.

"What on..."

Just then, the mouser's mouth opened, dropping several egg shells that were inside it. As the egg shells hit the floor, they exploded in a large purple cloud of smoke that consumed the entire lower floor. Stockman was dumbstruck by this development. He tried looking on the cameras to see what was going on, but all he could make out were four figures quickly moving through the cloud of smoke. What followed was the sound of small flying metal objects as the monitors went dark one by one.

"What the-"

Before he could finish, he heard the sound of glass breaking behind him. He turned around to see four human sized turtles standing before him, each wielding a different ninja weapon.

"Your reign of terror is over Stockman!" Leo declared.

"Yeesh you been practicing that?" Raph asked surprised of his brother's choice of phrase.

"Yeah you like it?" Leo asked.

"What are you?" Stockman asked, perplexed by the creatures standing before him. However, he was quick to regain his composure. "It doesn't matter. I'll find out during the dissection."

"Hate to break it to ya 'Doc'," Raph retorted. "But it's four to one, and you don't exactly look like the physical type. What exactly are you gonna do?"

"I was thinking," Stockman began to respond adjusting his glasses. "This!"

He reached over to his computer and pressed a button. The turtles were puzzled by this until they heard some kind of machine activating above them. Suddenly a laser shot out of it right at the turtles. After a quick scream, they leaped out of the way and on to the assembly floor.

"Lasers!" Donnie shouted. "He's got lasers!"

"Come on!" Mikey complained. "How is that fair?"

The laser fired at them again and the turtles scattered.

...

April continued walking down the sewer tunnel looking for a way to the surface. She was still trying to rap her mind around the events that had just transpired. Four mutant turtles, killer robots, a respected scientist turning out to be a mad man. This was way too much for one woman to take in in one day. Finally she found a ladder leading to the surface. She let out a sigh of relief as she reached out for it, but right before she grabbed it, a thought sprung to mind. Those turtles just risked their lives to save her, and were about to do so again to stop Stockman's evil scheme. And what was she doing? Running away.

She felt like she had to help them, but how?

...

The turtles were scrambling to stay alive. Raph as fast as he could to avoid the oncoming laser. He dove behind a support column last minute to avoid the blast.

The laser fired several shots at Michelangelo. So much so that he didn't really have an opening to run. What he could do was spin on the ground, break dancer style to avoid the blasts. Until finally, he got enough of an opening to leap behind a column close to Raph's.

Donnie kept flipping out of the way of the blasts until he landed next to another column. He managed to duck behind it just as a blast sliced the tip of his staff off. Don looked at his weapon in shock thinking that almost could've been him.

"Dude, your weapon got fried!" Mikey commented.

"Yeah I noticed." Don retorted.

Leo meanwhile was running from several blasts until he took shelter behind a column far from his brothers. He leaned against the support trying to come up with a plan. Just then, he got an idea. He looked down at his sword and flipped it so he could see his reflection, and he smiled.

"Well I always wanted to be a Jedi." He said to himself before rounding the corner.

The machine fired its laser at him, but Leo used his sword to reflect the beam right back at the machine, causing it to explode. Stockman and the turtles shielded their faces from the explosion. Once it died out, the other turtles went over to their brother.

"That will give Stockman something to reflect on." Leo quipped, causing groans from his brothers.

"Leo, you are officially becoming Mikey." Raph commented.

"Oh come on, that sounded cool." Leo tried to argue.

Before the argument could continue all the mousers on the assembly line floor turned on, and turned to the turtles. They all charged toward them. The turtles circled up with weapons drawn. Each mouser came toward them was quickly dispatched with Leo slicing their heads off, Don bashing their heads with what was left of his staff, Raph stabbing them on the head or body, and Mikey pounding them into the ground.

"Fight all you want," Stockman taunted. "You can't hold back them all."

"He might be right." Mikey admitted still swinging his chuks. "There a lot more here than last time."

"If we fall, we fall fighting." Leo said sounding stern.

"Oh you will fall," Stockman continued to gloat. "Fall before the genius of Baxter Sto-"

Before he could finish, he was hit on the head by a fire extinguisher wielded by April, causing him to fall unconscious. Once he was out, April ran over to the console.

"Guys." April called out.

"April?" the turtles called back in shock.

"What are you doing here?" Donnie asked as a mouser jumped up and bit into the middle part of his staff. Raph was quick to stab it causing it to fall to the ground.

"Trying to save you guys." She responded while working on the computer.

"No offense April," Leo began to say. "But I don't think there anything you can-"

Before Leo could finish, he heard the sound of machines shutting down. He looked back at the mousers to see their movements slowing to a standstill and the lights in their eyes turn off. The turtles sheave their weapons and look at the sight in surprise.

"Still think I can't handle it?" April asked climbing down a ladder towards the turtles.

"Well uh..." Leo stuttered for a second. "Thanks."

"Wait, aren't you a news reporter?" Raph asked. "How could you hack these things?"

"Well my dad is a computer genius and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps, so he taught me a few things." April explained getting off the ladder and onto the ground.

"That is amazingly awesome." Donnie complimented awestruck.

"Thanks." April responded.

Unbeknownst to them, Stockman was regaining consciousness. He was able to reach the keyboard and hit a few keys before making his way to the door.

Back below, the mousers all started activating again. The turtles and April looked down at the mousers and saw they were on, but not moving. There was also a high pitched sound emanating from them.

"Uh... Donnie?" Raph asked. "What's going on?

"Well judging by the power fluxuations, I'd assume that-" Donnie started to hypothesize.

"Donnie!" Raph yelled interrupting him.

"They're gonna blow!" Donnie screamed.

With that, the turtles and April bolted towards the sewer entrance. As they ran, each of the mousers blew up one at a time, causing major damage to the lab. As the group made it to the sewers, Donnie made his way to the door and sealed it before the explosion could get to them. All five stopped for a moment to catch their breath.

"Well, that was exciting." Mikey commented.

That earned a bit of a laugh from everyone.

"Yeah." April agreed. "So, do you guys know a way out of here?"

"Just follow us." Donnie offered.

The turtles headed off in one direction and April followed, still marveling at her newfound friends.

...

After a bit of walking, the turtles and April found a ladder leading up to the surface.

"Well April," Donnie said. "This is your stop."

"Thanks." April responded. "Though I have to ask, why were you guys coming to find me?"

"Well after our last encounter we just wanted to be sure you didn't have any other photos on us." Leo explained.

"Actually," April responded pulling up the photo on her phone. "I do."

The turtles were shocked to see her actually delete the photo.

"But not anymore."

"You sure about that?" Raph asked. "'Giant turtles thwart mad scientist' sounds like a pretty impressive story."

"Hey you guys saved my life, and stopped Stockman from robbing the city blind. It's the least I can do." April explained.

"Thanks April." Donnie said gratefully.

With that, April smiled back before going up the ladder. Once she went up to the surface, the turtles made their way back home.

...

"I mean, she could've just left then and there. We wouldn't have blamed her, but she came back." Donnie praised as the came closer to their lair. "And she was able to shut down the mousers herself. I mean she looks like that and is super smart? Awesome."

"Uh oh. Looks like Donnie's got a girlfriend." Mikey teased.

"I do not!" Donnie shouted back.

"Shh!" Leo shushed as they entered the lair. "Will you be quiet!? If Splinter catches us..."

"Relax." Raph tried to reassure. "Sensei's probably fast asleep by now. We have nothing to worry about."

At that very moment, the lights for the lair turned on and the turtles saw Master Splinter standing outside the dojo as though he were waiting for them.

"Ah! Sensei!" Leo shouted.

"And where have you been?" Splinter asked.

"Nowhere?" Raph nervously answered.

"What happened to Donatello's Bo Staff?" Splinter continued to question observing the state of Donnie's weapon.

"Oh that." Donnie answered noticing his weapon's condition. "W-Well it was..."

"...Hit..." Leo finished.

"...By a..." Raph continued.

...Bus?" Mikey concluded with a full teeth smile.

This earned a raised eyebrow from Splinter. Donnie just chuckled nervously as he scotched over to Mikey.

"Hit by a bus?" Donnie whispered leaning over to his younger brother.

"Well what was I supposed to say?" Mikey asked back. "Meteor? Cow? Flying building?"

The two glared at each other for a moment.

"Enough!" Splinter shouted causing the turtles to all stand upright.

"Tell me what happened." He demanded.

...

The next few minutes were filled with the turtles explaining their tale about how the met April, fended off a ton of mouser robots, and thwarted Baxter Stockman's plans for the mousers and the city. Once they had finished, Splinter stroked his goatee, pondering the story his sons had told.

"Very interesting." Splinter commented. "While I am displeased yet another human knows our secret..."

That caused the turtles to worry a bit.

"...However, you displayed cunning and determination tonight. Of that, I am pleased."

That made the turtles let out a sigh of relief.

"Does this mean were not grounded anymore?" Leo asked.

Splinter paused for a moment.

"... I suppose." He finally answered.

This caused smiles from all four turtles.

"But I expect double kata's from all of you this week. No exceptions!"

The turtles smiles faded, but they bowed in respect regardless.

"Uh Sensei," Donnie began to ask rising from his bow. "What about April?"

"Hmmm" Splinter pondered. "Ms. O'Neil has proven herself quite capable. And if you four plan on continuing the excursions to the surface, and I know you will, she could serve as a useful ally."

...

In a major city skyrise, Baxter Stockman walked into a room which resembled traditional Japanese design. Behind him was Hun, escorting him in, and in front of him was Nakumo sitting legs crossed in front of a small table.

"Nakumo, I-" he started to say.

"Silence!" Nakumo interrupted. "The master wishes to speak to you personally."

Nakumo then pressed a button on the table that raised a screen on one side of the room. The screen turned on showing the master that Stockman had spoken to earlier that same day.

"Master." Nakumo greeted bowing in respect.

 _"Nakumo. What is it?"_ the Master asked.

"Stockman's operation has failed." Nakumo explained. "The mousers were destroyed."

 _"What?!"_ the Master screamed.

"Relax master." Stockman tried to reassure. "It's just a minor setback. I can get production online and fully operational again by oh, Monday morning."

 _"I do not think you understand the severity of your situation Stockman."_ the Master said imposingly. _"You have failed me. And with failure comes punishment. Hun!"_

At the sound of hearing his name called, Hun walked over and picked up Stockman by the lab coat and started carrying him out the door.

"Hey! Unhand me you brute!" he scream. "Let me go! I demand you let me..."

The doors closed behind them before he could finish. After they we're gone, a second screen lowered and a technician came in with a destroyed mouser head.

"This will give us the last image the mouser optics recorded." Nakumo said as the image was displayed on the screen.

Nakumo and his master were shocked to see four humanoid turtles wielding ninja weapons displayed on screen.

"Turtles..." Nakumo let out. "So they do exist."

 _"I am assuming these 'creatures' have been reported before."_ the Master deduced. _"Am I right?"_

"Yes." Nakumo confirmed. "They interfered in an operation the Purple Dragons were conducting yesterday. What would you suggest we do?"

"Track them down." The Master ordered. _"If these 'turtles' insist in interfering with our plans, they must be removed. Permanently!"_


	3. The Alien Agenda part 1

_My name is Michelangelo, but my friends call me Mikey. And speaking of friends, helping out one of our own has turned into a major chore. When April's father got kidnapped by some guys in suits, we wasted no time agreeing to help out and rescue him. What we didn't count on was winding up dead center in the middle of a massive alien conspiracy!_

 _"Commence the action that is known as surrender." One alien ordered. "Or Kraang will make the ones called the turtles become the turtles that are destroyed!"_

 _Let's just say when all this is over, I really hope April appreciates this!_

 _..._

It was around closing time at The Second Time Around antique shop and its owner, Kirby O'Neil was just finishing up with his last customer for the night.

"Thank you!" he called out as the customer left the building. "Come again!"

Once the customer left, Kirby started to prep the shop for closing. Just then the bell over the door rang out.

"Sorry we're closed." Kirby called out turning to the person entering the store, only to see it's his daughter April coming inside.

"Hi Dad." April greeted.

"Hey April." He responded embracing his daughter in a hug. "How was your day?"

"Oh the usual." She explained releasing her grip. "Still covering the fire at Stock-Tronics that happened last week."

"I heard about that. Any idea what happened?" Kirby asked.

"I believe it was some faulty wiring in the basement." April answered.

"I see." Kirby responded coyly.

"Look Dad, I've had a long day." April stated. "I'd actually like to get ready for bed."

"Alright." Kirby relented. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Sounds great." April replied heading towards the stairs that lead to both her fathers and her apartments.

Once she left, Kirby was about to start locking up when the door opened again. He turned around to see four identical looking men in business suits enter the shop.

"Sorry we're closed." Kirby reported.

"The shop owner that owns this shop possesses the artifact that is known as the artifact that Kraang has been seeking." One of the men said.

"What?" Kirby asked, confused by the man's manner of speaking.

"If the one known as the shop owner does not comply with the request that is the request of Kraang," a second man said in the same voice as the previous one as they walked closer to Kirby. "Then Kraang will have no choice then to commence that which is known as extermination."

Kirby backed away in fear as the men continued to walk closer.

...

Meanwhile upstairs, April finally reached the door to her apartment. Once she entered, she took her hair out of its ponytail and walked towards the bathroom meaning to take a shower and get ready for bed. Before she could even open the door however, she heard a knock on her… window.

"What on earth?" she asked walking toward the window.

As she pulled back the curtain, she was shocked to find who was on the other side. The four mutant turtles that had saved her life a week ago. Once she realized this, she quickly opened the window to find out what they were doing here.

"Care for a subscription to "Turtles Home Companion"?" Donatello jokingly asked, earning a groan from Raphael.

"Really Donnie?" Raph asked. "That's what you open with?"

"What I thought it worked."

"You guys again?" April asked as she backed up letting the turtles get inside. "What are you doing here?"

"We just want to talk." Leo answered.

"What about?" April asked.

"Well, we've been thinking about making our excursions to the surface world a regular thing." Donnie explained. "And since you pretty much saved our life last time…"

"…We were hoping you could help us out in that respect." Leo finished.

"Help you out?" April asked puzzled. "How?"

"Mostly just give us the news on what's going on in the city." Leo continued to explain. "So the next time some nut job like Stockman tries something…"

"… You guys can get on it and put a stop to it." April concluded.

"Exactly." Leo confirmed. "What do you say?"

"Well… I" she started to say.

Before she could answer, there was a loud crash emanating from downstairs. The turtles and April turned in surprise at the sound

"What was that?" Mikey asked.

"Some sort of commotion downstairs." April surmised. "I hope Dad's ok."

"Want us to help?" Donnie offered.

"No, just hold back." April rejected. "Let me see what's going on before you go all 'turtle power' on everything."  
April then walked out of the apartment towards the antique shop.

"Turtle power?" Mikey considered scratching his chin. "Maybe we could use that."

That just earned him a slap on the back of the head from Raph.

"Come on." Leo ordered. "Let's follow. Stealth like."

The turtles moved out of the apartment and slowly moved down the stairs. They saw April head into the shop.

...

Once April entered the shop she saw the men in suits throwing her dad against the counter. Then one of them grabbed him by the collar.

"Yield the location that is the location of hiding of the artifact of Kraang." The man demanded.

Before either could say anything, the man was hit upside the head by the blunt end of an antique candle. Though the blow left him unscathed. He simply turned to see April holding the candle.

"Let my father go!" she demanded.

The man stood silent for a moment, then smacked April back causing her to crash into a display the doorway, the turtles were watching the events play out, and by this point, they had seen enough.

"So much for holding back." Leo said

"Oh well." Raph sarcastically lamented.

The man continued to walk forward towards April as she braced herself for what was to come.

"Hey!" a voice called out.

The four men turned to see the turtles standing in the doorway to the stairs.

"When a woman tells you to back off, you might want to listen." Leo taunted.

"Creatures that are known as turtles seek to interfere with the plan which is the plan of Kraang." One of the men said.

"Kraang must make the ones called turtles the ones that are turtles no more." Another one of the men ordered.

The turtles just stood there for a moment, taking in what they just heard, before blasting into a fit of laughter.

"What the heck was that?" Mikey asked.

"That was the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life." Raph exclaimed still laughing.

The four men then reached into their coats and pulled out small, weird looking guns. When they fired them, some kind of pink lasers came out at the turtles. The turtles then stopped their laughing and dove out of the way. Donnie and Mikey hid behind the counter while Raph and Leo hid behind a display case.

"That was close." Leo said relieved.

"Tell me about." Raph concurred. "Where are these guys getting their gear? Mars?"

"No idea." Donnie admitted.

"Come on guys!" Mikey called pulling out his nunchaku spinning it. "Let's show these guys that turtles know how to party!"

Mikey ran out and smacked one the guys with his nunchaku. The man just turned his head back towards Mikey, causing him to smile nervously before the man smacked Mikey knocking him to a suit of armor causing it to fall apart.

Donnie jabbed one man in the stomach and then spun around hitting again sending him flying across the floor. Only for him to get to his feet a second later unscathed, much to the confusion of Donnie.

Raph jumped into the air and performed and air kick to one of the men in suits but he only staggered back a few feet. Raph raised an eyebrow at this but shook it off as he ran towards the man and latched his Sai under his wrist and tried to pull him over his shoulder. The guy was as firm as a tree. As Raph turned to his combatant, the man smacked him aside causing him to land on Donnie.

"Watch it." Donnie called as the two turtles got up off the ground.

"Sorry." Raph begrudgingly responded getting back into the action.

Another one of the men in suits continued firing at Leo who kept dodging the blasts as he ran towards him. Once Leo got close enough, he sliced the gun with one of his swords and kicked the man behind the counter.

One of the men in suits turned to another one of the men in suits.

"The situation that is the current situation of Kraang is getting that is known as out of hand." The first man commented.

"If Kraang cannot obtain the information that is the information known by the human that is called Kirby O'Neil here, then Kraang will gain the information out of the human known as Kirby O'Neil in the base that is the base of Kraang."

With that, one of the men grabbed Kirby by the collar and took him outside. Two of the other men followed along, breaking their battles with the turtles.

"Dad!" April called out.

"Come on!" Leo ordered. "After them!"

Leo, Don, Raph, and April chased the three men outside the shop. Mikey was about to follow when he saw the last man get up from behind the counter.

"Want some more huh?" Mikey asked spinning his nunchaku. "Well you got it!"

Mikey just continued swinging his nunchaku around as the man got closer. When he was in range, Mikey swung at him. However, the man was able to catch the nunchaku and throw it aside.

"I see." Mikey said looking at his discarded weapon. "Well then…"

Mikey tried punching him but the man caught him by the wrist. Mikey tried to pull himself free from the man's grip, but it was to no avail.

"Come on!" Mikey yelled pulling out his other nunchaku. "Let me go dude."

The man just ignored him and tightened his grip on him as he pulled him closer. Mikey started to get nervous.

"Hey!" A voice called out.

Mikey turned to see Raph running toward them and jumping into the air.

"Let go of my brother!" Raph yelled as he made contact with the man sending him flying into a shelf, causing it to fall on him.

"Whoa." Mikey let out turning to Raph. "Thanks bro."

"You're lucky Leo sent me back in here after you." Raph responded.

Mikey gave his brother a thumbs up, but Raph looked freaked out much to the confusion of Mikey. He looked down to see that the man's arm that was gripping his wrist was still attached to him. Freaking out Mikey swung his arm frantically hoping to get it off. Raph finally came over and yanked the arm off. Mikey sighed in relief until he and Raph noticed the arm seemed to have sparks of electricity coming out of it. Cautiously, Raph picked up the arm and tore the sleeve off it. Both of them were shocked to discover the arm underneath was robotic.

"Whoa." Mikey exclaimed before an idea popped into his head. "Say you don't think…"

Both Mikey and Raph turned towards their fallen opponent.

...

Back with Leo and Donnie, they were having no luck against the men kidnapping April's dad. While they were able to dodge the oncoming blaster fire, their own attacks seemed to be ineffective against them. During the fight, one of the men carried Kirby by the shirt collar over to a white armored van and tossed him inside. The man was about to close the doors when Leo came in from the air and kicked the man away from the van. Leo then turned to grab Kirby but was distracted when something caught his eye. A metal canister with some glowing green substance inside of it.

"It can't be." Leo exclaimed.

Before he could process his find any further, the man Leo kicked grabbed him by the back of the shell and threw him into Donnie and April. As the three got up, the three men got into the van and drove off, leaving April and the turtles in the dust.

"Dad!" April called out trying to run after them.

Once she realized they were beyond pursuit, she stopped and dropped to her knees crying. Donnie walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry April." He said trying to comfort her as she looked up at him. "We'll get him back. I promise."

April wiped the tears from her eyes as she stood up and Leo walked towards them.

"Come on," he said. "Let's grab Mikey and Raph and get back to the lair. There's something you guys need to know."

"Where are those two anyway?" Donnie asked as the three went back to the store.

...

Back with Raph and Mikey, they managed to get the shelf off the man that stayed behind and Raph proceeded to rip his shirt open. What they say defied belief. Some kind of robotic skeleton was hidden beneath the man's garb.

"Whoa." Mikey exclaimed. "This is some kind of sci-fi movie freak show."

"It gets weirder." Raph noted pointing to the stomach area.

Mikey turned his head there and saw some kind of brain creature with closed eyes and a mouth residing in there, the sight of which made Mikey scream. The scream woke the creature as it jumped from the body and latched onto Mikey's face. Mikey struggled to pull it off and ran around the store several times screaming at Raph to get it off. Raph just stood there with arms crossed looking at his brother's panic.

"Alright." He finally said. "Hold still."

Mikey then stopped right in front of him and Raph proceeded to try and pull the thing off him. Finally he pulled it off. Once off the brain thing tried to attack Raph. Raph just threw it at a wall and it fell unconscious as it hit the ground.

"Aw man." Mikey let out, especially freaked by the whole ordeal. "We gotta tell the others!"

"Right." Raph agreed as the two ran towards the door.

Raph however stopped as he grabbed the robot arm he tore off earlier.

"First, a little souvenir."

...

As Donnie, Leo, and April approached the shop, Mikey came running out towards them.

"There you are." Donnie scolded. "Where the shell have you been?"

Mikey stopped right in front of them out of breath.

"That guy…" Mikey started to explain. "It had… a brain."

"Uh… yeah Mikey. We all have brains." Leo corrected.

"In our chests?!" Mikey yelled.

"No Mikey, not in our chests." Leo corrected again.

"You're not listening!" Mikey yelled again earning a slap from Leo. "Did you just slap me?"

"I was calming you down." Leo explained.

"Why would that calm me down?!" Mikey asked angry.

"Just knock it off Mikey." Donnie demanded. "This is serious. We don't have time for this."

"Hey Poindexter!' Raph called out tossing Donnie the robotic arm. "He ain't kiddin."

"Wow." Donnie marveled examining the arm. "The design work on this is incredible. I doubt even Baxter Stockman could've put this together. Where did you get it?"

"From one of the guys that jumped April and her Dad." Raph answered. "He was some kinda robot."

"Yeah." Mikey confirmed. "And he had a weird alien brain thingy in his chest."

Leo, Donnie, and April turned back to Raph as if to verify Mikey's claim.

"Crazy as it sounds," Raph admitted. "He ain't lying."

"Well aliens or no those things took April's father." Leo informed.

"Right we gotta get back to the lair." Donnie surmised. "You two April."

"Me?" April asked confused.

"Well those things were after something," Donnie explained. "And they took your Dad in hoped of finding it. What's to say they won't do the same with you?"

"Donnie's right." Leo confirmed. "You'll be safer with us."

April paused for a moment, and then a determined look overtook her face.

"Alright, let's go."

With that, Raph lifted a nearby manhole cover and the four turtles and human descended into the sewers and made a b-line for their lair. The trip was relatively swift and silent aside from April's brief comment about the smell.

...

Finally, they made it to the turtle's underground home. As April entered the doorway, she marveled at the construction of their home.

"This…" she started to say, "This is amazing."

"It's awesome right?" Mikey asked. Who wants the grand tour?"

"Maybe later Mikey." Leo interrupted. "Right now we have to try and explain this to Splinter."

"Chill dude." Mikey reassured. "I got this covered."

He ran off and came back with a lamp shade and put it on April's head.

"There. Now if Splinter asks, we'll just say we're redecorating."

Raph rolled his eyes as he took off the lampshade.

"Yeah Mikey," Raph responded. "Redecorating. A couple of throw pillows, a TV news reporter, all great."

"Well I don't see you coming up with any better ideas." Mikey countered.

"What is going on in here!" a voice shouted.

The five of them turned to see Splinter entering the room.

"I was just about to sit down for meditation when-"

He was cut off however at the sight of April, and April was shocked at the sight of hi,

"You…" She tried to articulate. "You're a…"

Before she could finish her thought, she passed out. Donnie was able to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Heh, really got a way with the ladies Sensei." Donnie casually joked.

Splinter was not amused.

"My sons. You have brought a stranger, here?"

"It's not that simple Sensei." Leo tried to explain.

"This is April O'Neil." Donnie continued picking up her unconscious form. "The news lady we told you about."

"Her home was attacked." Raph added on. "The guys would've come back. We had to bring her here."

Splinter stroked his chin.

"Set her on the couch. Bring water and a washcloth." Splinter instructed.

The turtles complied and before long, April was on the couch still passed out. Splinter took the wet washcloth and placed it on her head.

"How long will she be out? Leo asked.

"It is hard to say." Splinter answered. "She received quite a shock."

Raph looked up to see Donnie heading toward his lab.

"Where you goin?" Raph asked getting Donnie's attention. "I figured be the type to wait by her bedside 'till she awoke to the love of her life'."

This earned a snicker from Mikey and an eye roll from Donnie.

"Very funny." Donnie replied. "But I want to take a look at the metal arm you and Mikey recovered."

Donnie then walked into his lab. Just a few seconds later however, he poked his head out of the doorway.

"But, uh, let me know when she wakes up will you?" Donnie asked nervously.

...

Slowly, Kirby opened his eyes. He saw that he saw strapped own to a chair in what looked like a white room with pink lights all over the place.

"Hello!" he called out.

No answer.

"Hello!"

Suddenly, the light to the room turned on, blinding him at first. Once his eyes adjusted he saw four identical men that looked like the men who abducted him standing over him.

"Greetings one known as Kirby O'Neil." One of the men greeted.

Kirby just looked at them confused.

"What do you want from me?" He asked.

One of the men walked forward carrying a picture of a device.

"This device was created by Kraang but lost by Kraang many earth years ago." One man said.

"Kraang's recent investigations have led Kraang to discover the device of Kraang is in the shop that is the shop of Kirby O'Neil." A second man continued.

"The one known as Kirby O'Neil will reveal the location of the device to Kraang." A third man ended.

"And what if I don't?" Kirby asked.

Just as he asked that, the door opened and what looked like a metal robot with a brain in its chest came into the room with a metal rod with electricity emanating from it inits hand.

"You will."

...

"Amazing." Donnie marvel examining a part of the arm under a microscope. "The makeup of this arm is… well I don't know what it is. It's made of an alloy I don't even recognize."

"Wow." A voice called, scaring Donnie a bit.

He turned to see it was Raph standing in the doorway.

"A metal alloy you don't even recognize?" He continued sarcastically. "It boggles the mind."

"Hey you wanna talk metallurgy with me?" Donnie asked spinning his chair to face him. "Bring it."

"I don't. I'm here to tell you your girlfriend's awake."

"She is?" Donnie asked suddenly realizing the other part of Raph's statement. "And she's not my girlfriend!"

"Whatever." Raph dismissed. "She's awake now and Splinter's made her some tea. Just letting you know like you asked."

"Ok then." Donnie responded getting up and walking out of the lab.

The two turtles joined the others, minus Leo who was absent for some reason, as April took a sip of her tea.

"Are you alright April?" Donnie asked taking a seat on the couch next to her.

"Yes thank you." She responded before turning to Splinter. "Sorry for my reaction earlier Master Splinter."

"It is quite forgivable Ms. O'Neil." Splinter said. "Your reaction is to be expected with dealing with … us."

April chuckled at that statement.

"Fair enough." April replied.

"I'm glad you're all here." Leo stated entering the room carrying something under a cloth. "I have something I need to tell you."

"What is it Leo?" Donnie asked.

"During the fight, I tried to get April's dad out of the van. When I did," Leo explained taking the cloth off the object. "I saw this."

The mutants present were shocked at this revelation. The object was a broken metal canister of some kind. April could tell that this was very important.

"What is it?" she asked.

"This," Leo explained. "Made us what we are today."

"What?" April said surprised.

"Yeah." Mikey confirmed. "Tell her the story Master Splinter."

"But Michelangelo, I have told it dozens of times."

"Yeah but you tell it best." Mikey insisted. "Please."

"Well if I'm going to be keeping your secret, I might as well know what secret I'm keeping." April reasoned.

Splinter sighed.

"Very well." Splinter relented. "For fifteen years now, my sons and I have lived in these sewers. Before that time however, I was once human."  
This got April's attention for sure.

"A man named Chung Li. Student to one of the greatest martial artists in all Japan, Hamato Yoshi. It is through him that I learned the mysterious art of Ninjutsu.  
The others huddled together as Splinter continued his story.

"However, terrible circumstances in life robbed me of my master shortly after we came to New York and I found myself alone. Wandering the sewers for I had nowhere else to go. Until one day, when I witnessed an accident, that changed the course of many lives."

...

 _Chung Li passed through one of the many storm drains throughout New York City, remaining ever vigilant for any possible threats. As he approached an opening into the street, he noticed something that caught his eye. An old blind man was attempting to cross the street, unaware that the light was no longer green. At the same time, a large truck came down the street towards him at high speed. Li panicked, fearing he was the only one who noticed, but thankfully, he was not. A young boy carrying a glass jar that held four baby turtles saw the commotion._

 _..._

"That was us." Mikey pointed out.

"Yes," Splinter confirmed. "Don't interrupt!"

"Sorry." Mikey apologized backing off.

 _Presumably on instinct, the boy dropped the jar, allowing it to crash open and sent the turtles down the storm drain next to Li. He didn't notice at the time, too distracted by the scene playing out before him. The boy ran out and pushed the old man out of the way of the oncoming truck. As the truck swerved out of the way, the back flew open and a metal canister fell out. It bounced for a bit before it fell down the storm drain. It landed hard on Li's head, breaking open and covering him and the turtles in a strange glowing ooze._

 _..._

"And this 'ooze' made you into this?" April asked, gesturing to all of them.

"Yes." Splinter confirmed.

"How?" April asked again.

"I've been trying to find out for years." Donnie explained. "The best I can figure, the ooze was some kind of mutagenic material that bonded the DNA of the host with whatever animal they had recently been in contact with. Since my bros and I had last been in contact with either the boy or the owner of the pet shop be came from, we became humanoid turtles."

"And I, having been last in contact with the rats of the sewer…" Splinter hesitated for a moment, looking down at his paws. "Became this."

...

 _The transformation was agonizing, Li's entire body feeling like he was being torn apart and set on fire at the same time. When the torturous process finally concluded, Li caught sight of himself in a stagnant puddle beneath him. In panic and disgust, Li ran deeper into the sewers. His newly transformed limbs were still weak though, and he didn't make it far before he collapsed. He looked at his hands, now little for than rat paws._

 _"_ _Look at me." he lamented. "I'm not even a shadow of my former self. More like a splinter."_

 _He was devastated. Everything he had known, everything he had been, was gone. He would have fallen into true despair, had a tiny voice not drawn his attention._

 _"Splin...ter..."_

 _Surprised, Li turned around to see the four baby turtles had followed him. Even more remarkable was that they were all much larger than before, and one of them seemed to_ _be able to speak._

 _"Splinter." It said again._

 _Li raised an eyebrow in surprise, for the tiny creature seemed to think that was his name. Before Li could do anything else about them, one of the turtles latched onto his leg as if hugging him. The others soon followed his example, clinging to Li like lost children. It dawned on Li that they truly were lost children, ones who had no one to care for them._

 _Unable and unwilling to leave the turtle creatures behind, Li decided to take care of them, looking after them as if they were his own._

 _..._

"And knowing the world above can be a very dangerous place," Splinter continued "I began their training. Teaching them everything I knew from my master so that they may be ready to defend themselves, and others. It was a new life for me, and a new life called for a new name. I decided to take the name my sons gave me, Splinter. And I in turn named my new family after my favorite painters and sculptors of the Italian Renaissance age. Leonardo,"

"Hey."

"Michelangelo,"

"That's me."

"Donatello,"

"At your service."

"And Raphael."

"Yo."

"What a story." April commented. "But what happened to your master? That, Hamato Yoshi guy."

Splinter just let out a sigh.

"I'm afraid that is a question for another time." Splinter dismissed.

"Besides," Donnie interrupted. "We have bigger things at hand. If a canister like that one was in the back of that van, then the guys who took your dad are connected to what happened to us fifteen years ago."

"How is that possible?" April asked.

"With alien robots, anything is possible." Mikey pointed out.

"I hate to admit it," Donnie responded. "But Mikey is on to something. I took a look and the arm Raph gave me, and the tech is seriously alien."

Mikey smirked as Donnie spoke, proud to be right.

"So what do we do now? Raph asked.

"Well if those guys were after something in the antique shop," Leo surmised. "Then they're gonna go back and find it."

"And when they do," Raph surmised drawing his sai. "We unload some major kick butt action on those guys."

"I just love those cheesy action lines." Mikey commented. "You write those yourself?"

"Actually Raph, we won't even try and stop them." Leo clarified.

This shocked everybody.

"What?" April asked.

"Are you crazy?" Raph questioned.

"Trust me guys," Leo reassured crossing his arms. "I got a plan."

...

The antique shop was quiet. The turtles were keeping an eye on it from a rooftop across the street. Since the shop was still closed, it was completely empty and quiet. The latter of which was irritating Raph immensely.

"Remind me again what we're doing sitting on this rooftop?" Raph asked irritated.

"Because Raph," Leo began to explain. "Those guys will be back any minute to get what they came for last time. And when they get it, we can follow them right to their hideout."

"And then we can save April's dad." Donnie added, patting the duffel bag he had over his shoulder.

"And we get a free van." Mikey commented excited.

The others just looked Mikey confused.

"Sure Mikey," Leo answered. "Whatever."

Then the turtles continued to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

The constant waiting was getting to the turtles. Raph got more irritated and Mikey got more bored. And hungry.

Time continued to press on. Suddenly an engine sound filled the air. Leo went in full alert mode, leaning over the edge with his hand grasping one of his swords, only to see it was a pizza delivery boy on a moped driving towards them

"Ok who ordered the pizza?" Leo asked annoyed turning to his brothers.

Donnie and Raph immediately turned to Mikey.

"What?" Mikey asked defensively. "I'm hungry. Do you realize how long we've been waiting up here?"

The others just rolled their eyes at his reasoning.

...

Down below, the pizza guy pulled into the alley as he was instructed to do, but found no one. He got off his moped and walked down the alley way to look around. He was unable to find anything. When he turned back to his ride, the pizza was gone, and in its place, a wad of several dollars.

Back on the rooftop, the turtles dug into the pizza as they continued to watch the shop.

"Give it up Leo." Raph called out. "The guys aren't gonna show up."

"We have to be patient." Leo instructed finishing a slice of pizza.

"No," Raph disagreed. "You have to come up with a better plan. Cause the four of us standing out here shoving pizza in our faces with our thumbs our noses,"

"I don't think they'd fit." Mikey commented.

Raph just shrugged it off.

"Is pointless." He finished.

"You sure about that?" Leo asked with a smirk on his face.

"… They just showed didn't they?" he asked.

As he asked that, the white van that carried the man off before pulled off to the shop.

"Should've complained two hours ago."

...

Inside the store, two men in suits kicked the door open and proceeded to the back of the shop.

"Proceeded to the location that the one known as Kirby O'Neil provided to Kraang." One of the men instructed.

The two men perused around the back of the store searching for the item they were after. They found nothing at first, until one of them spotted a vase. He walked over to it and picked it up. He then proceeded to drop the vase, causing it to shatter on the ground. Among the pieces was a strange metal device.

"Kraang believes Kraang has found what has been sought after by Kraang."

...

"Now what?" Mikey asked.

Now," Donnie answered reaching into his duffel bag and pulling out a special throwing star. "I do this."

Donnie then threw the throwing star at the roof of the van.

"Nice shot." Raph responded sarcastically. "A few more and we can give them a leaky roof."

"That throwing star happens to have my specialized turtle tracker." Donnie explained. "The software of which is linked up to my shell cell, allowing us to track the van back to its place of origin."

"Wow." Mikey marveled. "There's an app for everything these days."

"Guys," Leo called getting his brothers attention. "Here they come."

Down below, the two men proceed out of the store, one of which was carrying a strange metal device, get into the van and drive off.

"Don how's that tracker working?" Leo asked turning to his brother.

"Like a dream." Donnie responded looking up from his shell cell.

"Great! Let's move."

The turtles then took off in pursuit of the van.

...

After a while of running, the turtles stopped in front of a small octagonal building with a brick fence around it. They saw the white van they were tracking drive up to it and pass through the gate.

"Looks like this is the place." Leo observed.

"Got anything in that bag of tricks of yours to get us in?" Raph asked Donnie.

"As a matter a fact." Donnie answered as he reached into his bag.

He pulled a grappling hook and four pairs of climbing claws, three of which he passed to his brothers.

"Nice." Raph commented.

"Hey, a ninja is always prepared." Leo explained.

"I thought that was the boy scouts." Mikey pointed out.

Donnie just face palmed himself, unknowing he had a climbing claw on his hand.

"Ow." He let out.

After that, Donnie fired the grappling hook and it connected with the brick fence. The turtles then zipped along the line and hopped over the fence. They proceeded to dart across the field to the building and used their claws to climb to the top of the building. Leo spotted a skylight and motioned the others over to it. Don reached into his bag again pulling out a homemade glass cutter. He then placed it on the glass and cut a circular hole in it. Once the hole was cut, Donnie reached inside and opened the latch.

"Gotta admit Leo," Raph spoke up. "So far this little plan of yours is working pretty well."

"See? When are you gonna stop doubting my leadership skills?" Leo asked.

"Got it!" Donnie exclaimed opening the skylight.

The four turtles through the open window and into the building, right in front of two robots carrying blasters. The two robots aimed their blasters right at the turtles.

"I'd say there's still room for improvement." Raph commented answering Leo's earlier question.

Ignoring him, Leo drew one of his swords and quickly cut their heads off and kicked one into the other knocking them down.

"Well I guess this confirms Mikey's alien robot theory." Leo stated observing his fallen adversaries.

"See!" he yelled before turning to Donnie. "And you thought I was just some kind of bonehead!"

While they were talking, one of the brain creatures popped out of its robot body and leaped at Mikey, however, Mikey saw it coming this time and caught it.

"Oh no you don't." Mikey told it before he threw it at a wall.

Unfortunately, it hit a security panel and sounded an alarm, much to the dismay of the turtles.

"Mikey!" They all yelled.

Mikey turned to them all looking angry.

"Okay, that one's my bad." He admitted.

Before anyone could say anything else, a metal door opened and several robots with blasters came out aiming their weapons at them, prompting the turtles to draw their own weapons.

"Commence the action that is known as surrender." One alien ordered. "Or Kraang will make the ones called the turtles become the turtles that are destroyed!"

One look at this situation and the turtles could tell that they were in for the fight of their lives.


	4. The Alien Agenda part 2

_My name is Donatello, and I like to consider myself a mutant turtle of sound science. After today, I might have to take that words meaning into consideration. Rescuing April's dad after he had been kidnapped should have been simple enough, but finding out not only they're aliens, not only do they have highly advanced technology, but that they might be responsible for creating us nearly fifteen years ago, is quite a lot to take in. To top it all off, our mission to rescue Mr. O'Neil has us surrounded by these alien robot things. Needless to say, scientific reasoning has not been on my side today._

...

Once again, the turtles found themselves outnumbered. This time however, they were surrounded by several brain aliens in robotic bodies, aiming high tech laser guns at them.

"What's the call fearless leader?" Raph asked Leo.

"What do you think tough guy?" Leo responded drawing his swords. "Attack!"

The turtles drew their respective weapons and charged towards their alien assailants.

Donnie swung his staff at one robot knocking it to the ground before spinning it to block the coming blaster fire. He then leapt over one robot, locking his staff under its chin, and threw the robot over his head and into the others.

Mikey spun his chucks wildly to block the blaster fire directed at him as he ran towards the robots. Once he was up to them he bashed one robot with his nunchaku, kicked another one to the ground, and punching one in the brain creatures face. Mikey stood triumphant over his fallen adversaries, unaware that another robot was behind him about to fire. Suddenly, a sai was impaled in the robots head. Mikey turned around to see the robot fall to the ground as Raph came over to reclaim his weapon.

"Thanks dude." Mikey responded.

"Just keep your head in the game Mikey." Raph instructed before running off.

Several robots fired at him but Raph just blocked the shots with his sai. He then jumped into the air and landed on two robots impaling them in the heads with his sai.

Leo meanwhile was jumping around using his swords to deflect the oncoming laser blasts. He then sliced one nearby robots bead off causing him to fall to the ground. One final robot kept firing at Leo, who just deflected and dodged the oncoming fire as he made his way closer. Once he was close enough, he used his sword to slice the robot in half. The two halves fell to the ground as Leo was joined by his brothers.

"Well that was fun." Raph commented.

"Donnie," Mikey addressed. "I think we might want to consider bladed weapons in the future."

"I'll see what I can do." Donnie responded.

"We're not done here yet." Leo reminded. "We still have to find April's dad."

"How?" Mikey asked. "This place is huge. He could be anywhere."

"Why don't we ask the management?" Raph suggested gesturing to the pile of fallen robots.

The turtles picked up one robot with a brain creature in it to interrogate.

"Ok pal," Leo began. "Where's the man you guys kidnapped earlier?"

"Kraang lacks the knowledge that the ones called the turtles are asking of Kraang." The creature responded.

"Right. Forgot about that." Leo lamented.

"Even if Kraang possessed the knowledge that the ones called the turtles are asking of Kraang, Kraang would not yield the knowledge to the ones called the turtles."

"Let me try." Raph offered.

Leo backed off and Raph came in close.

"Look here pal, you're going to tell us what we wanna know," Raph began pointing his sai at the creature's face. "Or else I'm gonna get… Sarcastic."

The creature got scared at the threat and relented.

"The human known as Kirby O'Neil is in the detention area, cell A113." He relented.

"What was the thing you took from the shop?" Raph asked.

"A necessary component that is necessary in completing the Molecular Mixer."

"Molecular Mixer?" Donnie asked.

"A device used to create the substance known as Mutagen. Mutagen is essential in the plan which is the plan of Kraang."

The turtles looked at each other with nervous looks on their faces.

"Betcha three pizza boxes that 'Mutagen' made us." Mikey chimed in.

"I'll take a piece of that action." Raph responded.

"Last question," Leo added. "What are you guys?"

"We are Kraang." The creature answered before popping out of his robot body.

The turtles moved out of the way as it landed on the ground and scurried away.

"Well that was creepy." Mikey commented.

"Donnie, you and Mikey see what you can do about that Molecular Mixer." Leo instructed. "If these 'Kraang', have the stuff that made us, they could really do some damage. Raph and I will rescue Mr. O'Neil. We'll rendezvous outside."

"Right." Donnie sounded off before he and Mikey went off.

Leo and Raph took off in a different direction for their own mission.

…

Kirby raised his head up to see three Kraang entering his cell.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" He asked.

"Indeed." One Kraang answered. "Kraang has located the device essential to the plan which is the plan of Kraang."

The three Kraang then raised their blasters and aimed them at Kirby, much to his shock.

"Meaning Kraang has no further use for the one known as Kirby O'Neil."

Suddenly, the two Kraang on either side fell to the ground, revealing two sai in the back of their heads. The one in the middle saw this and turned around, only to be cut diagonally by Leo's sword. This sudden turn of events shocked and confused the antique store owner to say the least.

"You," he called out. "You're the turtles from the store."

"That's us." Leo confirmed. "We're gonna get you out of here."

"Why are you helping me?" Kirby asked as Leo and Raph pried off the restraints.

"Well we don't like leaving people to be casualties of an alien invasion." Raph explained as the two helped Kirby to his feet. "Plus we're friends of your daughter."

Kirby paused for a moment to process that last statement.

"I always knew April kept strange company." He commented as the three took off.

…

Donnie and Mikey kept making their way through the complex. Donnie continued to marvel at the technological advances he came across.

"Man, for evil aliens these Kraang are remarkably advanced." Donnie complimented. "Any one of these computer terminals or power conduits would be a huge advancement for human kind."

"If only they used their brain bodies for good instead of evil." Mikey joked.

Donnie was about to respond, they came to a window that led out to a room that contained a device mixing some kind of glowing green liquid.

"Mutagen?" Mikey asked looking out the same window.

"Mutagen." Donnie answered.

In the room, two Kraang were talking.

"The device known as the Molecular Mixer is operating at a capacity that is the capacity of one hundred percent." One Kraang reported.

"Mutagen production is proceeding on the schedule that is Kraang's schedule for the conquest that is the conquest of earth." The second Kraang added.

"All that is required is testing of the Mutagen that is Kraang's Mutagen that must be tested." The first one said again.

"A subject for testing has been acquired for Kraang's testing of Mutagen." The second Kraang spoke up again.

Just then, a door opened revealing two Kraang carrying in a man in a white shirt and brown pants. The man was struggling to get free of the Kraang's grip, but to no avail.

"Subject identity: Snake." One of the Kraang holding him reported. "Was apprehended in the act that is trespassing on the premises that is the premises of Kraang."

"Hey!" Snake yelled as the Kraang kept carrying him forward. "Let me go you alien freaks!"

The Kraang carried Snake onto a platform and dropped him in the middle of it. A glass case suddenly rose from the ground around him, effectively trapping him. Several tubes came out from the giant vat of Mutagen and hooked up to Snakes glass cage. The tubes then started filling with Mutagen as they got closer to Snake. Finally the Mutagen sprayed out onto Snake. He screamed in pain as the ooze made contact with him. Suddenly, weird vine-like appendages started shooting out of his body, each with some kind of pincher on them, as his skin started turning green. Donnie and Mikey looked away as the Mutagen took its toll. They opened their eyes when Snake's screaming stopped and a different kind of screaming let out.

The turtles looked back to see in place of Snake was a giant weed like monster with four limbs, antenna, and a visible heart bashing against the glass.

"Woah." Mikey let out.

"Poor guy." Donnie lamented.

The weed creature finally smashed the glass cage open and started attacking the Kraang. He smacked one into the glass window Donnie and Mikey were watching from. The two ducked just as the Kraang crashed through the window. The other Kraang looked up to see the two turtles standing there.

"It is the ones called the turtles." One Kraang reported as all the Kraang started opening fire on them.

"Poor us!" Mikey exclaimed as he and Don dodged the oncoming blaster fire.

Donnie and Mikey leaped through the window and landed on the ground in front of the Kraang and the weed creature. Donnie threw throwing stars at the Kraang taking them out, so now they could focus all their attention on the weed creature. The thing shot out one of its limbs at them and the two turtles dove out of the way.

"Now what?" Mikey called out.

"We have to take out that Mutagen Supply!" Donnie answered back.

"Wanna tell me how?" Mikey asked.

"Sure!" Donnie called back. "Once I figure it out myself."

The two looked back at the creature as it let out a massive roar, signifying to the turtles that this was not going to be easy.

…

Outside, Leo, Raph, and Kirby made it to a field where one of the armored white vans that took Kirby were.

"Well we're here." Leo sounded off. "But where are Donnie and Mikey?"

As if on que, Donnie and Mikey came flying through a garage door right in front of them. They both tumbled on the ground as they landed. The two pulled themselves up as the others came over to them.

"What happened to you guys?" Raph asked helping Mikey up.

"That!" Mikey yelled pointing at the door they came out of.

Just then, the weed creature broke down the garage door and came out onto the field. Its presence caught the other turtles off guard to say the least.

"What the shell is that thing?!" Leo asked, completely freaked out.

"Some guy named Snake." Donnie explained. "He got caught by the Kraang and was mutated into a… giant weed."

"You'd think he'd get turned into a snake." Mikey commented.

"Yeah you would," Raph agreed. "If you're an idiot!"

"But his name is Snake." Mikey rationalized.

"So!" Raph asked irritated.

"You just don't understand science."

"No, I don't understand you."

While the two were talking, the creature was getting closer and was about to crush them with his 'foot'.

"Look out!" Leo called as he leaped towards his two brothers and pushed them out of the way.

The three got up and took a stance against the creature looming over them, leaving Donnie standing behind it with Kirby.

"Donnie!" Leo called out. "You get Mr. O'Neil out of here! He'll hold off tall, green, and ugly."

"Right." Donnie called back as he and Kirby took off.

The creature shot out all four of its limbs at the turtles. Leo slices two of them with great speed. This caused the creature to cry out in pain.

Mikey basked away all oncoming attacks of his pinchers with his nunchuks. Though they kept coming back for more.

"Now I really wish I had blades on my weapons." Mikey let out.

Raph back flipped out of the way and stabbed one limb into the ground with his sai. The creature tried to pull free but only succeeding in tearing his own limb off, bleeding out some kind of strange pink liquid.

"Eew." All three turtled let out.

What really caught them off guard was the fact that his severed limbs seemed to be regenerating at will.

"Woah." Raph let out. "Didn't see that coming."

"Yeah," Mikey agreed. "Snakeweed is really powerful."

"Snakeweed?" Raph questioned.

"Yeah. His name was Snake and now he's a weed so-" Mikey tried to explain.

"We get it!" Raph interrupted.

"We just have to hold him off until Donnie gets back." Leo told them.

Just then, a set of double doors nearby was kicked open and several Kraang droids ran out onto the field.

"While fending off several alien robots." Leo added.

"If bein' a ninja turtle was easy, everyone would do it." Raph commented spinning his sai.

…

Donnie and Kirby sprinted over to one of the white vans. Donnie then threw open the back and motioned Kirby to get inside.

"You should be safe here Mr. O'Neil." Donnie informed. "Once my brothers get here, we're going to need a quick exit."

"Right." Kirby responded. "How are you doing to stop that think?"

Donnie turned back to the creature his brothers were fighting along with the Kraang. He had no idea how they were gonna stop that thing. Just then, his eye was drawn to something. It looked like some kind of alien generator. Suddenly an idea popped into his head.

"There!" he exclaimed. "If I can't lure that thing over to that generator and light it up, it could blow that thing sky high! That could take the facility and the Mutagen with it!"

"Brilliant idea." Kirby commended. "But how are you going to pull that off?"

Donnie thought for a moment, and then had an idea.

…

The turtles certainly had their three fingered hands full with both Snakeweed and the Kraang's constant blaster fire. Leo kept jumping around avoiding plant limbs and blaster fire when Donnie came up.

"Leo!" he called standing a few feet away. "I got a plan, but I'll need that thing over here, and one of those blasters!"

"Right!" Leo called back before turning back to his other brothers. "Guys! We need a blaster and Snakeweed this way!"

"I'm all over it!" Raph called before charging towards the Kraang.

He let into the air and tackled a group of Kraang. He got up and used both his sai to stab one Kraang in the chest, then pulled one out and sliced off a Kraang's head with it. One Kraang got close and aimed his blaster at him. He quickly kicked it out of its hands then kicked the Kraang out of the way. He caught the blaster as it fell through the air and blasted every Kraang in sight.

"Hey Donnie!" Raph called turning to his brother. "Catch!"

He threw the blaster, at Donnie, who was able to catch it. He, Leo, and Mikey just looked at him shocked by his display of power.

"What?" He asked.

"You are seriously twisted." Leo commented.

"Thanks." He responded.

Leo just shrugged it off and launched several throwing stars at Snakeweed. The plant mutant took note of this and turned to see his attacker.

"Hey Snakeweed!" Leo yelled. "Your mother was a dandelion."

This little comment enraged the creature and he chased after Leo and Donnie. Raph and Mikey nodded at each other in agreement and followed after, taking out a few Kraang droids along the way.

The turtles made it to the generator as Kirby brought the van around. Donnie jumped onto the top of the van before opening the blasters power source.

"Get in!" Kirby yelled.

As the turtles piled into the back, Donnie did some creative wiring with the blaster and tossed it at the generator. As the van drove away, the blaster made contact with the generator and exploded. The generator then blew along with it, engulfing that section of the building in an epic explosion, taking Snakeweed and the Kraang with them. Donnie got into the van as they continued to drive off. They all looked at each other laughing a bit at the events that had transpired.

"Well…" Donnie started. "…We did it."

"Yeah." Leo agreed.

"Yeah." Raph

"Yeesh you guys act like we were gonna die or something." Mikey commented.

The others paused for a moment, then burst out laughing as Raph grabbed Mikey and gave him a noogie.

…

April paced around the lair as Splinter sat there meditating.

"Ms. O'Neil," Splinter spoke up. "Your nervous pacing is disrupting my meditation."

"Sorry Master Splinter." April apologized. "I'm just really worried for my dad… and the guys."

"Hmmm you seem to have grown fond of them."

April paused for a moment.

"Yeah." She admitted. "They're really great. A bit unusual to say the least… but still really nice."

"Awww." Mikey let out as he, his brothers, and Kirby came into the lair. "You do care about us."

"Dad!" April yelled running over to her father.

She embraced him in a hug which he returned immediately. The mutants present smiled at this display.

"You have performed well, my sons." Splinter complimented.

The turtle's smiles grew upon hearing that.

…

Back at the facility, two Kraang were looking over the destruction the turtles left in their escape. Another Kraang approached the others.

"Kraang, the substance known as Mutagen was destroyed in the explosion that was caused by the ones called the turtles." The Kraang informed.

"Understood Kraang." A second Kraang acknowledged.

"Kraang took note of the makeup of the substance known as Mutagen and will be able to replicate the process that is the process of creating Mutagen at a time that is later." The third Kraang informed.

"What of the ones called the turtles?" The first Kraang asked.

"The ones called the turtles pose that which is known as a threat to the plans that are the plans of the Kraang." The second Kraang reasoned.

"The ones called the turtles must be the ones called the turtles that are no more." The third Kraang surmised.

…

The next day, April and her dad invited the turtles over for dinner as a way to say thanks for everything. The turtles accepted immediately. Splinter did too though a bit reluctantly.

"Thanks for having us over April." Donnie said graciously as they all sat at the table.

"Hey it's the least I can do after you rescued my dad." April responded.

"Hey, anyone would have stormed an alien stronghold if it meant helpin' out their friends." Raph brushed off.

"So…" Kirby spoke up. "Do you think we've seen the last of those Kraang?"

"I doubt it." Leo admitted. "They'll be back. Causing who knows how much trouble when they do."

"Well if they do pop up again," April surmised. "You'd probably need someone to keep an ear out for similar strange activity."

There was a ding coming from the kitchen.

"Oh there's the pizza." Kirby noted. "I'll get it."

Kirby got up and went into the kitchen.

"So I take it you've decided to take us up on our offer." Leo surmised.

"After all you've done, how could I not?" April replied.

"Thanks." Donnie said.

"Well pizza's done." Kirby declared bringing in the pizza.

"Great." April replied. "I'll get the pizza cutter."

"No need dudette." Mikey said standing up. "We got this. Ready Leo?

"Ready Mikey." Leo responded standing up as well.

Mikey grabbed the pizza from Kirby as he and Leo got into position.

"What are you guys up to?" April asked.

"Just watch." Mikey told her. "Here it is ladies and gentlemen! The new Turbo Ginsu!"

Mikey then tossed the pizza in the air. Leo pulled out his swords and started slicing it into pieces. Each piece amazingly landed on everybody's plates.

"It dices!" Mikey shouted sounding like a commercial announcer. "It slices. And yet still makes French fries in three different-"

Before he could finish, a piece of pizza landed on top of Splinter's head, much to the shock of Leo and Mikey.

"Whoops." Mikey let out as Leo hid his swords behind his back.

"Hmm kids." Splinter let out.

Suddenly everybody let out into laughter.

This was certainly a strange family to say the least, but they were a family nonetheless. And their adventures were just beginning.


	5. Dragons Brew

_My name is Raphael, and I gotta say, there are times where my brother Leo really ticks me off. Don't get me wrong he's a great guy, but his over indulgent sense of morality really gets under my shell. Who would have thought that Leo letting one lousy Purple Dragon off with a warning would have resulted in us going up against a walking heap of muscle mass aptly known as Hun?_

 _Let's just say, when all this is over, me and Leo are gonna have a nice little chat._

...

It was night time in New York City. All its citizens were burning the late night oil going about their nightly activities. This included a group of Purple Dragons walking up to the front of a local noodle shop. The group included a man with a purple Mohawk and 80's visor, a man in a yellow shirt, brown vest and pants, a teenage girl with sleeveless light blue hoodie and purple hair in pigtails, and a man in red camo pants and a dragon tattoo on his face.

"Alright boys," the dragon faced one spoke up. "You all know the drill."

"Yeah," the one with the Mohawk confirmed. "If the old man don't fork over the cash, we 'convince' him to."

"Just one question." The one in the vest chimed in. "Why bring the kid along?"

The girl turned to the man in the vest scowling.

"Hey Rocksteady!" she yelled. "I can scrap with the best of them. And don't you forget it!"

"You wanna test that now!" Rocksteady challenged pulling a large knife out of a sheath on his back.

"I said the best." She countered. "You don't count."

"Alright break it up!" the dragon faced one shouted getting their attention. "Angel maybe new but she's tough. This little outing is to test her skill."

Rocksteady backed off as the dragon faced one walked up to Angel.

"If you got the guts that is." He challenged.

Angel remained silent for a moment before a smug grin on her face.

"Don't worry Dragon Face." She told him, waving her hand. "I got the guts."

With that, she kicked open the door, much to the shock of the shop owner, Mr. Murakami.

"Can I help you?" the elderly shop owner asked.

"Evening Murakami." Dragon Face greeted pounding his fist into his hand. "We're just your friendly neighborhood debt collectors."

...

Across the rooftops, four green blurs blazed through the night. Jumping over every gap with exceptional ease, swinging on clothes lines, and cheering their praises every step of the way, they were having the time of their lives.

Finally they stopped, Mikey sliding on his knees as he landed on the rooftop.

"Oh yeah!" he let out getting up. "How'd we do chief?"

Leo pulled out his shell-cell and checked the timer.

"Two minutes and thirty seven seconds." Leo reported. "I think we set a best on the rooftop dash."

"Nice." Mikey commented. "I think that calls for a victory pizza.

"I'm down with that." Donnie agreed.

Raph's own smile vanished when he saw something across the street.

"Celebration will have to wait guys," he called. "Check this out."

The others came to the edge of the building and saw some silhouettes in the noodle show across the street. Four uniquely shaped figures were pushing around a more pungent one.

"Looks like some punks lookin for trouble." Raph declared about to leap into action.

"Hold it Raph." Leo said holding him back. "We don't know what we're rushing into."

"Hey I know that place!" Donnie recognized earning the attention of the others. "April said it's this Japanese noodle place she and her dad went to a while back. She also said the owner is blind."

"That's great!" Mikey exclaimed.

His smile went away as everyone looked at him.

"I meant for us." He responded nervously.

"Beatin' up a blind guy?" Raph questioned. "That's just low."

"For once I agree with you." Leo admitted. "Let's take em down."

...

Murakami was thrown against the counter. The Purple Dragons were closing in on him. Murakami turned to face the counter secretly reaching for something as Dragon Face came forward.

"So should we help ourselves to the cash register or-"

Before Dragon Face could finish, Murakami hit him upside the head with a pan. He fell to the ground holding his head in pain. The others let out a little laugh, but they stopped when he turned to them angry.

"Angel, 'talk' to him." he instructed.

Angel was caught off guard by his request, but she complied regardless.

She walked up to Murakami and grabbed him by the shirt collar.

"Listen old man," she tried to threaten. "Either you cooperate with us, or the last sound you hear will be… will be-"

"Booyakasha!" Mikey yelled as he and his brothers stormed into the store.

The Purple Dragons turned towards them in shock and confusion.

"Well that's not quite what I had in mind." Angel admitted.

"Hey Bebop," Rocksteady said getting the attention of the one with the Mohawk. "Ain't these the freaks that beat us up on that one job?"

"Yeah," Bebop recalled. "You freaks got Scrag killed!"

"Sorry to hear that." Raph responded. "But we're still not gonna let you hurt this guy!"

"Get them!" Dragon Face yelled.

The Purple Dragons charged at the turtles and the fight began. Each turtle took on a different Purple Dragon. Rocksteady drew his large knife and started swinging it at Raph. Raph was fast enough to dodge every swipe that was directed at him.

"Fancy weapon." Raph commented backing away from him. "Let's see ya use it."

"Oh I'm gonna cut you up into turtle burgers!" Rocksteady threatened charging forward swinging wildly.

"Ok that doesn't even make any sense." Raph retaliated grabbing the knife blade between his hands.

He then kicked Rocksteady in the stomach, which sent him flying into a wall knocking him out cold.

Mikey meanwhile, was flipping all around the shop, avoiding the crowbar being wielded by Bebop.

"Dude, you're bringing back the Mohawk." He commented landing on the ground and pointing at him. "Good for you."

"Oh, you got jokes huh?" He asked tapping his crowbar against his hand. "Well try laughing at this!"

He took another swing at Mikey, who quickly ducked it and delivered a punch to the face. It sent him turning into Donnie's elbow backing up for a punch. That sent him back facing Mikey punching him again as Donnie turned to face him, unintentionally smacking Bebop in the head with the staff on his back. That made him fall to the ground. Donnie and Mikey looked at each other and smiled. Dragon Face tried punching Donnie from behind, but he just grabbed it and flipped him over his shoulder onto Bebop, both groaning in pain.

"They never learn." Donnie noted.

"Green beats purple anytime." Mikey added. "Oh sorry D."

Donnie just waved it off.

Leo meanwhile was dodging Angel's attacks with a kitchen knife she found lying around.

"Aren't you a little young to be throwing in with the Purple Dragons?" Leo asked as the two circled each other.

"No. No I'm not!" she yelled before charging towards her.

She swung at him again, but to no avail. He then swatted the knife out of her hand and then grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her against the wall. He was about to take her down but he stopped when he saw a scared look on her face. He knew he couldn't bring himself to do it, so he let up.

"Get out of here." He ordered before letting her go.

She then bolted to the door as the others followed.

"This isn't over freaks!" Dragon Face yelled.

"You better watch your backs greenie!" Bebop added. "It just became turtle season!"

With that the Purple Dragons left the shop.

"Greenie?" Donnie questioned. "Wonder how many brain cells it took for him to come up with that?"

"What the shell was that?" Raph asked turning Leo to face him. "You let them go!"

"We took them down Raph." Leo explained. "It's over."

"Yeah, for now." Raph countered. "They'll be back, and now they don't think he have the stomach to finish the fight."

Leo paused upon hearing this. Maybe Raph was right.

Meanwhile, Mikey was helping Murakami up off the ground.

"You ok man?" Mikey asked.

"Yes." He confirmed. "Thank you my friends."

"Hey don't mention it." Leo responded.

"Please, let me make you a meal, free of charge." He offered.

"I think we can allow that." Raph remarked.

"Tell me, what is your favorite dish?" Murakami asked.

The turtles paused for a moment.

"Pizza!" They all shouted at once.

Murakami then got behind his counter and got to work. He pulled various ingredients out onto a large grill, grabbing a variety of tools before attacking the ingredients. With amazing speed, and no small amount of a showman's flair, Murakami made short work of the preparations as the turtles watched on.

"Wow." Donnie marveled. "Mr. Murakami, you're amazing!"

"You're like a ninja, but for food." Mikey added.

After a short while, Murakami was finished. He placed a wooden tray in front of each of the turtles with several pieces of gyoza in front of them.

"Pizza gyoza." He announced.

Each of the turtles grabbed a gyoza with their chopsticks and tried it. They immediately fell in love with the dish and continued digging in.

"This is awesome!" Leo exclaimed.

"It's like my taste buds took a trip to Flavortown!" Donnie described.

As the other turtles continued eating, Leo stopped for a moment and turned to Murakami.

"Uh, Mr. Murakami," Leo spoke. "Do the Purple Dragons come around often?"

"Sadly, yes." Murakami lamented. "They demand protection money, but I refuse to pay. No doubt they'll be back."

"You don't say." Raph responded sarcastically.

Leo just lowered his head in contemplation.

...

Back at the lair, Donnie was in the living room going over some blueprints on his computer.

"Hey Donnie." Mikey greeted walking up to him. "Whatcha working on?"

"Hey Mikey." Donnie greeted back. "You know that armored truck we used to escape the Kraang?"

"Yeah." Mikey responded. "What we do with that anyway?"

"I've been storing it in the garage above us." Donnie answered. "Anyway, I've been tinkering with some ideas to trick it out for our ultimate ninja transport vehicle."  
Mikey peered over his shoulder looking at the blueprints on the computer.

"This looks awesome!" Mikey commented. "I even have a great idea for a name. You ready? The Battle Shell."

"Catchy." Donnie admitted.

Leo meanwhile was wailing away on a punching bag in the same room.

"Whoa there tough guy," Raph spoke up coming out from behind the bag. "I think he's had enough. You better let em go."

"Very funny." Leo replied dryly. "You seriously can't be sore that I didn't senselessly beat up a helpless kid."

"I'm sore because you showed weakness." Raph retaliated. "Those punks only understand one thing: Fists."

"What about feet?" Mikey asked, causing Leo and Raph to turn and face him. "You know for kicking."

"They understand feet." Raph relented.

"Wouldn't that make them bilingual?" Donnie asked.

Raph just growled at Donnie, causing him to go quiet.

"My point is, they're merciless!" Raph continued. "And we can't afford to go soft on em."

"To show mercy is not soft." Splinter informed entering the room. "It is a sigh of true strength."

"But Sensei, they're criminals." Raph countered. "This is war!"  
"A daimyo in the sixteenth century once said 'in times of peace, never forget the possibility of war. In times of war, never forget compassion.'"

"I'm guessing that guy lost a lot of wars." Raph commented.

Splinter then brought his stick up to Raph's face just stopping right in front of it.

"Whoa." Raph let out.

"You see? Mercy." Splinter said in regards to his demonstration.

Splinter then smacked Raph's shoulder with his stick.

"Look, I'm not anti-mercy." Raph clarified. "But the Purple Dragons are, and they're not gonna leave Murakami alone."

"Than what would you suggest?" Splinter asked.

"Finding these punks and making sure they back off for good."

"I think Raph's right." Leo chimed in, catching the attention of Don and Mikey.

"Twice in one night?" Donnie marveled. "That's a new record."

"Well track down the Purple Dragons and make sure they got the message." Leo relayed. "And if not, we'll send them one, special delivery."

"If you're going for a tough guy approach, it's a near miss." Raph critiqued.

"Question," Donnie chimed in. "How are we gonna track someone down when we can't talk to anybody?"

Everyone paused for a moment, contemplating this particular predicament. Suddenly Leo sprang up with an idea.

"I think it's time to utilize our newest resource." Leo decided.

"Whoa." Mikey let out. "Are we gonna use a high tech satellite with DNA tracking to pinpoint the Purple Dragons lair with precision accuracy?!"

"That would be cool!" Donnie agreed. "But I think he meant April."

Mikey's excited look turned to one of realization.

"Oh yeah."

...

On a quiet New York street, a lone store keeper was sweeping up the sidewalk outside his shop. He was just minding his own business when something tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around shocked, only to see April standing behind him.

"Can I help you?" the shop owner asked.

April looked around to check if anyone else was there before leaning closer to him.

"I'm looking for the Purple Dragons." She told him.

"I… don't know what you're talking about." He responded.

"Listen, I'm a reporter," April explained. "And I'm putting together a story to bring the Purple Dragons down. Any information you can give would be very helpful."  
The shop owner paused for a moment.

"Well…" he started to say, "As long as you don't say it was me saying it…"

April smiled at this response.

...

Later that night, the turtles were positioning themselves over a tattoo parlor that April had directed them to.

"April said this was the place." Leo told them.

"Ooh, can we get tattoos?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah," Raph agreed. "Maybe Donnie can get a big heart that says 'April'."

"Mature Raph." Donnie responded. "Real mature."

"I wanna get one of my face on my face." Mikey told them. "It'll be like I'm wearing a mask and the mask is me!"

The others just looked that with blank expressions on their faces.

"I just blew your minds right?" he asked with a smug look on his face.

"You know they use needles for that." Donnie informed.

"Can it you two." Raph ordered as Dragon Face came out of the parlor. "There he is."

The turtles then followed Dragon Face to all the way to an abandoned warehouse. They then got ready to make their move.

...

Inside the warehouse, several members were present engaging in various activities. Bebop and Rocksteady were playing foosball together, some others were arm wrestling or playing cards, Angel was sitting by herself just chilling, and Dragon Face was walking up to Hun, who was sitting behind a desk.

"Hey," Dragon Face started. "We ran into that gang of turtles you told us about."

Hun leaned back in his chair.

"Hmm so they do exist." He mused.

"Yeah," Dragon Face confirmed. "And I can tell you exactly where to find them."

At that very moment, the turtles crashed into the window, weapons drawn, and landed in the warehouse in a dramatic battle position. This caught every Purple Dragon present off guard.

"Freeze dirt bags!" Leo yelled.

Hun rose from his seat, grabbed one end of his desk and flipped it over. This action drained a ton of confidence from the turtles.

"Whoa." Leo remarked.

"I think I'll manage." Hun told Dragon Face shoving him aside.

"Who the heck is that?" Raph asked pointing a sai at him.

"Lou Ferrigno? On steroids?" Mikey hypothesized.

"The name's Hun." He introduced cracking his knuckles. "Don't worry if you have trouble remembering it. I'll beat into your skulls."

With that, he raised his fists and tried to bring them down on the turtles. The turtles quickly scattered to avoid the attack as every Purple Dragon in the room charge toward them.

Raph quickly got to his feet and delivered a sharp kick to one oncoming punk. He then struck another one in the gut with the blunt end of his sai, causing him to clench his stomach in pain. Raph then took the opportunity to raise his elbow over him and bring it down hard on the punks head, knocking him out cold.

Donnie meanwhile swung his staff at every Purple Dragon that came close to him. Just then, Rocksteady came up from behind him and wrapped his arms around him effectively trapping him.

"Got ya now ya freak." He declared.

Thinking fast, Donnie plated his feet on the ground and sprung backwards, placing all his weight on Rocksteady. Being unable to support all that weight, Rocksteady fell on his back out cold, releasing Donatello.

"You were saying?" Donnie asked getting to his feet.  
Mikey blocked one attack of a baseball bat with his nunchaku and delivered a kick to the stomach that sent him flying. He didn't notice however Bebop coming up beside him and striking him upside the head with a club, causing him to fall to the ground. He quickly regained composure to see his opponent standing over him.

"We never got properly introduced earlier." He admitted readying his weapon for a swing. "My name is Be-BOP!"

He tried swinging at Mikey, but he quickly ducked it. He then sprung up using his hands and delivered a painful kick to Bebop's head. He fell to the ground just as Mikey landed on his feet.

"Heh, looks like I bopped Bebop." Mikey joked.  
Leo had just dispatched one Purple Dragon when Angel came up from behind and leapt onto him. It didn't take much effort to throw her off and pin her down to the ground with his foot.

"You know kid," Leo started to admit. "I'm really starting to regret letting you go earlier."  
Before he could say anything else, a huge fist came out of nowhere and knocked Leo halfway across the room. He slowly got up to see Hun walking towards him.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Hun asked cracking his knuckles.

"Surely you can't mean you." Leo taunted back getting to his feet.  
With that, Hun charged toward Leo. Leo ran towards him and quickly jumped over him. Before he could make it to the ground however, Hun spun around and smacked him with his fists again. Leo was sent flying past his brothers and into a stack of boxes. Enraged by this, Raph charged towards Hun. He then struck Hun across the face with the blunt end of his sai, but Hun just seemed to shrug it off. He then punched Raph so hard he went flying right into the same spot as Leo. Donnie came forward and swung his staff at Hun, but he just grabbed it and slammed Donnie into a nearby wall. Mikey then came rushing forward with nunchuks swinging. Hun simply picked him up and threw him across the room.

Leo slowly got up and saw the odds were not good for them this time.

"Everyone, fall back!" he ordered.

Without even saying a word, the turtles made a beeline for the window they entered from and made their escape. Hun looked out the window, furious his prey escaped.

"Come back and fight!" he demanded. "Cowards!"

...

Back at the lair, the turtles were sitting in the living room reflecting on their fight. Their thoughts on it were not pleasant.

"Yeesh, I don't think that fight could've been any more embarrassing." Raph commented.

"Sure it could have." Mikey spoke. "We could've had pies thrown in our faces, slipped on banana peels, been caught with our pants down…"

"We don't wear pants idiot." Raph reminded smacking him on the head.

"Just spit balling." Mikey countered.

"It's called fighting smart Raph." Leo voiced standing up and walking towards him. "Hun was too strong for us. We have to be ready next time if we want to beat him."

"The only way we're gonna beat that walking bag of muscle is to be as ruthless as he is!" Raph practically yelled.

"Raphael," Splinter interrupted walking into the room. "This Hun is willing to cross lines you will not. This may make him more dangerous, but it does not make him stronger."

"He was able to beat our collective shells," Raph retaliated. "Sounds like strength to me."

Leo was beside himself yet again. Maybe Raph was right. Maybe they did need to be more aggressive. Maybe it was the only way that they could win this.

...

Back at the warehouse, Hun was not happy. He had just thrown Dragon Face up against a wall and was holding him up by his shirt collar.

"Idiot!" he insulted. "You led the turtles right to us and you still manage to let them get away!"

"I'm sorry boss." Dragon Face apologized. "Really, really sorry."

"Do you know what my superiors will do to me when they find out we lost them?" He asked before slamming him against the wall. "It'll make that seem like nothing. So give me just one reason why I should let you live."

"I…." Dragon Face started to say. "I know where you can find them!"

Hun paused for a moment.

"Where?" He asked

"At this noodle shop." Dragon Face answered. "Murakami's. We were roughing him up when those freaks came and helped him."

Hun dropped Dragon Face upon hearing this. A devious smiled crawled across his face.

"Perfect." He said maliciously.

...

The next night outside Murakami's shop, April was pacing back and forth waiting for the turtles to show up. She then looked up to see the turtles descending from the rooftops.

"April," Donnie greeted as he and the others landed on the city street. "What's up?"

"The Purple Dragons were here." She informed. "And… they took Murakami."

"What!" they all screamed.

They all went inside to see that the shop had been trashed. Supplies and stools strewn everywhere, pictures that once hung on the wall were either knocked down or esque, and in the midst of it all, a note attached to the wall by a knife. Donnie pulled the note off so he could read it.

"Fun and games are over." Don read aloud. "If you want the noodle man back alive, meet us on the roof of the abandoned fortune cookie factory."

"That's it!" Raph declared. "They've gone too far this time!"

"I agree!" Leo concurred, getting the attention of the others.

"Three times in one week." Donnie noted.

"What bizarre parallel universe have we woken up to?" Mikey asked hysterically.

"If Hun is going to stoop to this sort of low, then we'll just have to do the same." Leo reasoned.

"But didn't Splinter say…" Donnie started to argue.

"Yes I know I know," Leo interrupted. "But Hun crossed a line bringing Murakami into this. It's time to show him we can cross that line too. Hun was right, fun and games are over. No more Mr. Nice Turtle."

"Yes!" Raph declared. "I never liked Mr. Nice Turtle."

Later that night, the turtles were staking out the tattoo parlor that they had found Dragon Face at before.

"Alright, everyone understand the plan?" Leo asked.

"Yeah," Mikey answered. "I'm just not sure about this. Are you sure we should do this?"

"Trust me Mikey." Leo reassured. "This'll work. Plus it's the only way we're gonna get Mr. Murakami back."

Mikey thought for a moment but nodded in agreement.

Later on, Dragon Face exited the parlor and was about to leave when he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around to see Mikey standing there.

"Excuse me sir, this is a no parking zone." He informed holding a piece of paper. "Here's the ticket, and here's the fine."

Mikey then kicked him to the ground. Leo and Raph then landed behind him up and tied him up in rope and covered his mouth in duct tape. Donnie then came over with a trash can and placed it over Dragon Face effectively trapping him.

"Gentlemen," Leo spoke up. "Welcome to the other side of the line."

"Now I'm definitely gonna need a tat." Mikey voiced, earning a punch on the arm from Raph.

"There, now you have a 'fist' tattoo." He joked.

"Funny," Mikey responded. "You do too."

"What? No I-" Raph started to say.

"Come here punk!" Mikey yelled before tackling him.

Mikey continually bonked Raph's head before Raph started wrestling with him. Watching this, Leo just sighed as Donnie rolled his eyes.

"Hey! Children!" Leo yelled.

The two ceased their fighting.

"Knock it off will ya?" he asked. "We have work to do."

The two remained silent for a moment, then Raph bonked Mikey on the head one more time.

"Ok I'm good." Raph said.

Leo just rolled his eyes as the four continued with their plan.

...

Hun and several Purple Dragons were waiting on the roof with Murakami tied up and dangling off the edge of the roof. He was starting to get impatient waiting for the turtles to arrive.

"Hun!" he heard a voice call out

He turned to see the turtles on the roof with a garbage can.

"So you made it." Hun noted. "I guess you reptiles do have some backbone after all."

"Let Murakami go and we'll show you how much." Leo responded.

"Sorry, there's been a change in plans." Hun informed.

Bebop came up to Murakami and pulled out a knife. It didn't take Donatello's IQ to figure out what he was planning.

"Actually, there's been another change in plans." Leo countered.

Don and Raph then pulled the garbage can away revealing Dragon Face underneath. This caught everyone there off guard.

"I love it when a change in plans comes together." Donnie commented.

Raph then took Dragon Face and put him near the edge of the roof. Again the intent was very clear.

"Here's the deal Hun," Leo called out. "You let our friend go, and we'll let your friend go."

Hun just crossed his arms admiring this display in front of him.

"Not bad," he commented. "But if we're being honest here, I don't think you have the guts."

He then nodded to Bebop and he started cutting the rope. The turtles got real nervous real quick.

"Uh…w-we're not kidding." Leo stuttered. "We'll do it."

Hun just chuckled in response.

"Show me." He challenged.

Leo froze up, not sure how to respond.

"Uh… R-Raph?" he spoke turning to his brother.

Raph turned to Dragon Face and raised him off the ground a bit. His determined look slowly disintegrated. He then clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Ugh, the shell with it." He cursed tossing him to the ground.

Hun chuckled.

"That's what I thought." He remarked. "Get them!"

The other Purple Dragons all charged towards the turtles except for Angel.

"Whoa," she remarked turning to Hun. "How'd you know they were bluffing?"

"I didn't." He answered before running towards the turtles himself.

Angel just stood there baffled. She knew the Purple Dragons were ruthless, but to let one of their own die like that was something else entirely.

Mikey went wild with his nunchucks, mowing down the Purple Dragons before they even had a chance to know what hit them. Raph went hand to hand, punching out dragons left and right. Leo did the same, though not going quite as hard as Raph, any dragons that tried to confront him quickly met with the ground before long. Donnie swung at each punk he came across with his staff and took them down quite easily. He then saw Hun coming toward him. He tried swinging his staff at him, but Hun just caught it again.

"Thought you would've learned after last time." He remarked.

He then raised Donnie up and slammed him into the ground like a hammer. Donnie then let out a groan of pain as Hun tossed the staff aside.  
Mikey saw this and leapt into the air with his chucks swinging. Before he could make contact however, Hun caught him and slammed him into the ground right next to Donnie.  
Raph jumped on him from behind and tried strangling him. When Hun tried to grab him, he quickly leapt over him and landed right in front of him. He then delivered several punches to his gut, but none seemed to be working.

"Make! Like a good! Mountain! And fall! Down!" Raph yelled.

Hun just raised his fists over his head and brought them down on Raph, causing him to fall to the ground. Hun was about to deliver another punch when he was suddenly his in the head by a tin can. He turned and saw Leo drawing one of his swords and making a 'come at me' motion with his hand. Angered, Hun ran towards Leo ready to fight.  
He threw a punch at Leo, but Leo quickly ducked it. Leo tried swiping at Hun but he quickly got out of the way. Hun tried to slam Leo like he did Raph, but Leo jumped into the air and delivered a kick to his face. However, Hun grabbed his leg and slammed Leo into the ground.  
From the other side of the roof, Donnie, Mikey, and Raph were watching the fight unfold, and they did not like the outcome.

"We got to do something." Donnie declared.

"Yeah like what?" Raph asked.

Before he could answer, Donnie's staff rolled right in front of them. They all look down at it in confusion. Then they looked up to see Angel standing there nervously smiling. Just then, Mikey got an idea.

"Guys," he spoke up. "I think I got an idea. Remember those old X-Men comics we use to read?"

"Yeah, why?" Raph answered.

"Remember the fastball special?"

Raph and Donnie then smiled knowing where he was going with this.

Leo meanwhile was groaning in pain as Hun picked him up by the shoulder and readied his fist.

"Time to finish this." He said.

"Couldn't agree more!" Raph yelled.

Hun turned to see Raph holding onto the end of Donnie's staff as Donnie spun him around. Finally, Raph let go speeding towards Hun.

"Booyakasha!" Raph yelled he collided with Hun.

Upon contact, Hun released Leo and was pushed to the edge of the roof, struggling to keep balance. Leo walked up to him and just let out a little blow of air. Hun then fell off the roof. He tried to grab onto a fire escape to break his fall, but he only succeeded in pulling it down on top of him. The other turtles came to the edge to join their brother in looking at the villains fall.

"Ooh better get some ice on that." Mikey commented.

The turtles then turned to the other Purple Dragons.

"Boo!" Raph let out.

The other Purple Dragons just fled in fear, with Rocksteady carrying a still tied up Dragon Face over his shoulder.

Suddenly, there was a sound of a rope breaking. The turtles turned to see Murakami's rope breaking. As the final cord snapped, Raph dove after him. He was able to grab him and plant his sai into the wall to stop them from falling.

"I got ya." Raph told him.  
Raph then was able pass Murakami up to his brothers and then they were able to get him up as well. They then cut the ropes binding him.

"Nice save." A voice called out.

Leo drew his sword in that direction and saw Angel at the end of it.

"Easy there." She said throwing her hands up. "I didn't come here to fight.

"Oh." Leo let out sheathing his sword. "Then why are you here?"

"Mostly to say, you guys are alright." She told them. "Sparing me at the shop, not throwing Dragon Face off the roof, taking down Hun, you guys are pretty incredible."

"Thanks." Mikey replied.

"Why are you hanging around with those guys anyway?" Donnie asked.

"Don't really have anywhere else to go." She told them. "Been on the streets for awhile, then I hear the Dragons are looking for new recruits and I figure 'hey I'd at least have a roof over my head."

"How's that been working out for ya?" Raph asked.

"Not the best I'll admit." She answered.

"You should really consider getting out." Donnie suggested.

"Probably." She agreed, before an idea popped into her head. "Or I could stay and give you guys the down low on the Dragons plans."

"What, like a spy?" Leo asked.

"Yeah!" Angel replied.

"I don't know, it could be dangerous." Donnie pointed out.

"Yeah I know," she admitted. "But I can take it. Besides, it's the least I can do after all you've done."

The turtles thought for a moment.

"I suppose," Leo relented. "If you're sure you're up for it."

"Totally." She responded.

"Ok then." Leo said. "Thanks, uh… never got your name."

"Angel."

"Thanks Angel."

...

Later on, the turtles got Murakami back to his noodle shop.

"Thank you again my friends." He spoke graciously.

"Our pleasure Mr. Murakami." Donnie replied.

"Here," he said holding out a bag. "Pizza gyoza. Specially made for you my turtle friends."

Leo took it before realizing his choice of words.

"Wait, how did you-?" he started to ask.

"I may be blind, but I have other senses." He answered. "Like touch, and smell."

The other turtles turned to Raph, who took a whiff under his arm.

"I don't smell that bad." He protested. "Do I?"

"Well I wasn't gonna say anything, but-" Donnie started to say before Leo elbowed him.

"And you don't mind that we're giant mutant freaks?" Leo asked.

"You saved my life," he replied. "Who am I to complain?"

The turtles smiled at this and bowed in respect.

...

Down at the lair, everyone was enjoying the pizza gyoza. Donnie was even trying to get April to try it.

"I don't know Donnie," April rejected. "Pizza gyoza? It just sounds unnatural."

"I know it can seem that way, but sometimes two things that seem like they don't together often make a great couple," he challenged before realizing his choice of words. "I mean food."

She thought for a moment.

"Oh, alright." She relented.

She then took one and proceeded to eat it. She couldn't believe how good it was.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "This is good."

"Told ya." Donnie replied.

"So we beat the bad guys, inspire a new type of food, and get a spy in the Purple Dragons." Mikey listed off. "I'd call that a good week."

"Indeed Michelangelo." Splinter agreed. "And you showed great strength today."

"But Sensei, we almost got beat." Raph informed.

"Your strength was mercy." Splinter clarified. "That is why Angel agreed to help you."

"See?" Leo spoke nudging Raph.

"Fine," Raph sarcastically relented. "Your wimpy ideas aren't completely useless."

"Oh I'll show you wimpy." Leo challenged before tackling him. "No mercy!"

...

In the office of a major city skyrise, Hun knelt before Nakumo, who was pacing back and forth in front of him.

"So let me get this straight," Nakumo started to say. "You had the turtles cornered, even had one of them in your grasp, and you still managed to let them get away?"

"Yes." Hun answered.

Nakumo stopped pacing right in front of him.

"I must say, I'm disappointed." He said.

"I am sorry." Hun apologized.

"No," Nakumo contradicted. "It's my fault."

Hun raised his head in confusion.

"I never should have sent a punk…" Nakumo started to say before snapping his fingers.  
Just then, several men in grey and black uniforms with a symbol of a dragons fool on their chests appeared out of nowhere, with little surprise from Hun. It was as if he had seen this before.

"…to do a ninjas job." he finished.


	6. Fury of the Foot

**A/N: thank you all for your continued viewership of this story. I really appreciate it and I'm glad you enjoy it. this is just a little note on my OC for this story: Nakumo. I figured since almost every Ninja Turtles has their own version of Shredder's second in command, like Tatsu, Hun, and so forth, i thought i'd do my own. Physical description: simply the uniform worn by Mashimi in the 2K3 episode Tales of Master Yoshi, with the face of the actor who played Storm Shadow in the GI Joe movies. just thought i'd make it clear.**

 **Enjoy! I don't own anything Except my OC.**

...

 _My name is Leonardo, and in our ninja training, Master Splinter has always told us that 'when faced with two choices in life, always choose the harder path.'_

 _That's all well and good, but when you're up against several well trained, well-armed, and very ticked off ninjas, it's pretty clear that when you're a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle the harder path has a knack for choosing you._

…

A strike from the side. A block on the left. A strike near the head. These descriptions would seem attune to some kind of epic battle. In actuality however, it's just the ninja turtles in the midst of weapons practice. A past time enjoyed by all the turtles, especially since receiving their signature weapons not too long ago.

"You know what I love most about weapons practice?" Raph asked gripping his sai. "The weapons."

Raph then leapt out of the way the way of Mikey landing in front of him and swinging his chucks at him.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Too bad you're stuck with those over glorified toothpicks and not a real weapon like the Nunchucks."

Just then, Mikey felt something hard hit his gut and then his head. He turned to see Donnie spinning his staff in triumph.

"Actually Mikey, the nunchaku was originally developed as a farming tool." He informed. "Most likely popularized as a weapon by Hollywood. If you want a true example of prime ninja weaponry, look no further than the Bo Staff."

Donnie was interrupted by the sound of Raph's growling as he charged towards him. Don quickly brought up his staff to block his sai.

"Yeah?" Raph asked as the two locked weapons. "Well I got two sai here that would beg to differ."

Raph broke the lock and kicked Donnie in the gut. He then fell to the ground and rolled backwards onto his feet ready to duke it out again.

"Boys!" Leo called out getting the attention of the others. "Put away the toys!"

Leo then drew his swords and leapt into the air over his brothers.

"Double katana is the only way to play!"

With one slash, he knocked Mikey into a wall. Another slash put Donnie out of commission as well.

Raph then came up and locked his sai with Leo's swords. The two struggled for a bit before Leo was able to knock Raph's sai out of his hands and kicked him into a wall.

"What'd I tell you?" Leo asked boastfully. "Double katana. Pretty sweet."

"And Leo shows us up again." Donnie reported rubbing his head.

"Eh lucky." Raph grumbled.

"Not so lucky for my tail." Mikey spoke. "It just got kicked."

"Well done Leonardo." Splinter congratulated as Leo turned to face him and his brothers got to their feet. "You have won. Do you know why?"

"Well, I have the superior weapons." Leo answered. "I read that sword master Myamoto Musashi once said, 'the katana blade holds the sole of steel, and is the truest guide to the warriors way'. Which is kinda how I feel."

"Many things are said, but few are true." Splinter told him.

Leo was dumbstruck by this. His brothers however, saw this as a bit of fun.

"Oh boy." Donnie let out.

"Sensei's got that look." Raph noted.

"Somebody's in trouble." Mikey taunted.

Splinter just rolled his eyes as he continued with his little lesson.

"Leonardo, attack me with your katana." He instructed.

"What?" Leo exclaimed. "Sensei I'm not gonna-"

"Do it. Now!" Splinter demanded.

Reluctantly, Leo obliged and attacked Splinter with his sword. To the surprise of everyone however, especially Leo, Splinter was able to catch the blade between his hands.

"Is this the great weapon you speak of?" He asked. "Helpless before an old rat such as myself?"

Splinter then let go of the blade, but he wasn't done yet.

"Again." He ordered. "With both."

Leo obeyed and tried attacking Splinter again.

And again.

And again.

With each strike however, Splinter was able to block it effortlessly with his walking stick. Finally, Splinter was able to knock Leo's swords out of his hands and point his stick at Leo's face.

"In the hands of a true master, anything can be a deadly weapon." Splinter informed.

The others chuckled at this remark. To demonstrate his point further, Splinter spun his stick for a bit and tossed it at a nearby punching bag, impaling it.

"You see your weapon as a superior entity in of itself," Splinter taught. "But in truth it is only an extension of the arm that wields it."

He then walked up to Leo and placed it on his shoulder.

"And until you learn this Leonardo, you have learned nothing."

Leo was shocked and completely defeated by this. Failing a lesson he didn't understand? What did Splinter mean?

…

Later that night, the turtles were staking out a laboratory that they believed the Kraang were going to attack. Donnie and Raph seemed to be the only ones paying attention to the task at hand. Mikey was playing a new game Donnie made for the Shell-Cell, and Leo was practicing with his swords still preoccupied about Splinter's words earlier.

"I don't get it." Leo questioned to himself still swinging his swords. "What haven't I learned?"

"Everything ok there bro?" Raph asked seeing his brother's troubled state.

"You guys know what I've got right?" Leo asked. "My skills the best it's ever been."

"You really shouldn't sweat it Leo." Mikey reassured looking up to face him. "It's just once lesson."

"I know, but what did Splinter mean that I learned nothing?" Leo asked before grabbing a nearby stack of newspapers and throwing them into the air.

He then sliced the rope holding them together and began slicing them into paper stars.

"I Just! Don't! Get it!" Leo shouted with each slice.

"Hey!" Donnie called out. "Can you guys keep it down? We don't wanna give away our location."

"I think we should call it, Don." Raph suggested. "The Kraang ain't gonna show up."

"I hate to admit it, but Raph may be right." Leo concurred.

"I thought for sure they'd show up here." Donnie lamented. "My intel seemed so certain."

"Intel?" Raph asked. "You mean, April told you."

Mikey looked up from his game in surprise.

"Wait, you mean we've been sitting up here all night because your girlfriend had a hunch?" Mikey asked.

"She's not my girlfriend, Mikey!" Donnie responded defensively. "She's a girl, who's a friend, who was certain that the same aliens that kidnapped her dad were gonna break into that lab tonight."

"But they didn't and now we've spent the night sitting on a cold roof for no reason." Raph complained.

"Come on," Leo spoke up. "Let's go home."

The turtles then left the rooftop and made their way for home. Unknown to them however, they were being followed by some mysterious figures.

…

The turtles continued traversing the rooftops for a while. They finally descended into an alleyway making their way towards a manhole cover.

"I still can't believe we wasted an entire night and I didn't get to bust some heads." Raph complained landing on a fire escape.

"Kicking butt isn't the only part of Ninjutsu Raphael." Leo reminded landing on the ground.

"Yeah but it is the best part." Raph countered landing next to him.

"Maybe but still, not the only one." Leo answered

"Whatever." Raph dismissed as Don and Mikey landed next to them. "Still, I could really use some action right now."

Mikey just rolled his eyes at Raph's comment, only to see something that took him completely off guard.

"Uh, I think you just got your wish Raph." Mikey pointed out.

"Why?" Raph asked turning to Mikey.

He just pointed up. Raph and the others looked up to see a group of ninjas standing on the edge of the rooftops above them.

"Are those guys, ninjas?" Donnie asked.

"Either ninjas or ninja enthusiasts." Mikey pondered.

The ninjas then leapt down to the ground surrounding the turtles.

"With mad parkour skills."

"Whatever they are they mean business." Leo warned. "Be ready for anything."

"I am so gonna enjoy this." Raph commented smirking while spinning his sai.

The turtles then rushed out to engage their new enemies.

Mikey swung his chucks wildly at the ninjas, each falling down at contact. He stopped in front of one ninja wielding tonfa in each hand and the two clashed. With every blow Mikey dealt, the ninja countered. The ninja then spun one of his tonfa and struck Mikey in the stomach. The ninja then smacked him in the face and sent him flying back. Mikey quickly rolled back to his feet and spun his nunchucks ready for more.

Donnie was facing off against a ninja with a sword. With every strike, Don blocked it with his staff. After blocking an attack directed at his back, he swung his staff around knocking the ninja to the ground. What shocked him was the ninjas speed in getting back to his feet.

Three ninjas surrounded Raph and unleashed a series of kicks and punches at him. Fortunately he was quick enough to block and dodge them all.

"Hey nice dragon kick." He complimented. "Sweet double phoenix punch. Hey, ya know this one?"

Raph then did a roundhouse kick, knocking away all three ninjas in a single move.

Leo meanwhile was confronted by ninjas left and right. After he dispatched one with either a quick kick or a hit from the blunt end of his swords another one was quick to take his place. He was now back to back with Raph, who took note of Leo's surprising enjoyment of the situation.

"You seem surprisingly chipper all of a sudden." Raph noted hitting a ninja with his sai.

"It's just nice to be fighting real people with real skills." Leo responded blocking a sword strike. "Instead of street punks, robots, aliens, or weed monsters."

One ninja with a sword kept trying to slice at Mikey, but he kept leaping around dodging the attacks. Once Mikey landed on the ground, he performed an uppercut on the ninja knocking him to the ground.

"Double points." Mikey declared before tearing the dragon's foot logo off his shirt. "And a souvenir."

As Mikey put the piece of cloth away, another ninja dropped down in a similarly designed uniform as the others but with two swords on his back and a mask that some what looked like a ski mask. He wasted no words and leapt into the air. He then delivered a devastating kick to Mikey. Donnie saw this and rushed towards him spinning his staff in his hands. The leader saw this and ducked under the attack and was able to sweep Donnie's legs causing him to fall to the ground.

"Hey tough guy!" he heard Raph shout.

The leader looked up to see Raph descending towards him with his sai pointed at him. The leader quickly drew one of his swords and blocked his attack long enough to kick him in the stomach and send him flying into a wall. The leader then turned to see Leo charging towards him. He quickly drew his other sword and clashed his weapons with Leo's. What followed next was a barrage of swords clashing with each other. Neither opponent letting up on the other. Finally, the two were in a weapon lock. Leo looked at his opponent with undeterred determination, while under his mask, the leader had a look of delightful surprise.

"You're good." The leader complimented.

Leo was taken aback by this comment. Enough so that the leader was able to kick Leo in the chest sending him flying back. Before anyone could react however, the sound of police sirens filled the air. Someone must have called the authorities about some domestic disturbance. The leader motioned his followers to disappear, and they did. Not wanting to be discovered themselves, the turtles removed a nearby manhole cover and dove down into the sewer, leaving no trace they were even there.

…

Back at the lair, the turtles were telling Splinter about their encounter.

"And their leader was crazy good." Leo told him. "In that he was good, and might have been a little crazy."

"I see." Splinter acknowledged stroking his chin.

"I could've taken him." Raph boasted. "If he weren't surrounded by his cronies. Someone needs to teach that guy the term 'fair fight'."

"What do you mean fair fight Raphael?" Splinter asked.

"Well you know," Raph tried to answer. "A fight, where both sides have a chance to win."

"So a fair fight is a fight you can lose." Splinter surmised.

"Well… yeah, but-" Raph tried to respond.

"Do you not want to assure victory?" Splinter questioned.

"Sensei that's not what I-"

Before Raph could answer, Splinter knocked him to the ground and pinned him with his stick.

"Was that fair?" Splinter asked.

"No!" Raph responded furious.

"Did I win?" he asked again.

Raph paused for a moment.

"I think I see your point." He relented.

Splinter then let him up before facing the others.

"Remember my sons," Splinter instructed. "Seek victory, not fairness."

Splinter then noticed something on Mikey's belt.

"Michelangelo, what is that?" he asked pointing to his belt.

Mikey pulled out the piece of cloth from his belt and handed it to Splinter.

"It was something the ninjas were wearing." Mikey explained giving Splinter the cloth.

Splinter then unfolded the cloth to get a good look at the symbol. The image shocked him in a matter the turtles didn't recognize.

"What should we do Sensei?" Leo asked.

Splinter just stood there staring at the symbol.

"Sensei?" Leo asked again, snapping Splinter out of his trance.

"Nothing." He spoke, catching the turtles off guard. "I will meditate on this matter."

The turtles a looked at each other in confusion.

"But Sensei," Leo spoke up. "These guys might be dangerous. They could cause serious trouble. Why shouldn't we look into this?"

"Because I forbid it!" Splinter snapped.

The turtles jerked back in response to this. Splinter then walked to his room leaving the turtles alone.

"Wow." Mikey marveled. "Never seemed Sensei so tense before."

Raph just walked over to a training dummy and started wailing on it.

"If it were up to me," Raph lamented. "Them we'd be out there, kickin ninja butt, takin ninja names, and finding out the whole ninja story for ourselves."

Raph then unleashed one powerful kick that knocked the dummies head off. Mikey caught it before looking up at Raph nervously.

"Yeesh. Remind me to never get on your bad side." Mikey commented.

"Too late." Raph responded walking off to his room.

Leo went to his room as well, questions pouring through his brain. Who were these ninjas? Where did they come from? What did they want from them? He wanted answers so badly he was considering questionable means of obtaining them.

…

Walking into his office as a projection screen lowered, Nakumo kneeled as the image of his master appeared on screen.

"Master," Nakumo greeted. "I have encountered the turtles."

 _"And what do you have to report?"_ The Master asked.

"They are incredibly skilled." Nakumo informed. "And their knowledge of us seems greatly limited."

 _"What are you implying?"_

"That if done properly, these turtles could be our allies rather than our enemies."

The Master pondered this idea for a moment.

 _"Very well."_ He relented. _"Seek out these turtles and offer them a spot in our organization. However, if they refuse, destroy them."_

"Understood Master."

…

Later that night, Mikey poked his head out of his room looking both ways before walking out. He then went to the kitchen and opened up the fridge.

"Come on. Come on." he said scouring the fridge. "There it is."

He then pulled out a slice of pizza and closed the door. He freaked out when he saw Raph leaning against the wall behind the fridge door.

"Yeesh Raph you scared me." Mikey criticized.

"Hey I'm a scary guy." Raph responded. "What are you doing up?"

"Got a case of midnight munchies." Mikey replied. "What about you?"

"I'm thinking of looking for those ninjas." Raph told him getting off the wall. "Want in?"

"Sure." Mikey responded. "But didn't Splinter say no?"

"Well let's just say I'm not exactly keen on letting Sensei know about this."

Mikey was about to respond when he saw Leo coming out of the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

"I think we might have a problem with that." Mikey said pointing towards Leo.

The two turtles ducked down as Leo entered the living room.

"If we stay quiet, maybe he'll go away." Mikey whispered.

Leo looked around to make sure he was alone before heading towards the entrance. Raph and Mikey stood up in confusion.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind." Mikey admitted.

"Somethin tells me he ain't heading out to use the bathroom." Raph surmised.

"On the surface?" Mikey asked. "You heard what Sensei said, the restrooms up there are filthy."

"Get Donnie." Raph instructed. "Something's up about this."

…

Leo made his way out of the sewers and to the rooftops above the alleyway where the turtles confronted the ninjas. He looked down at the alleyway getting the same view his assailants did when they attacked.

"The perfect place for an ambush." Leo surmised.

While he was going over the scene, a lone ninja stood perched on a nearby rooftop, aiming a bow and arrow at Leo. With precision aim, the ninja let loose the arrow and it went flying at Leo. Just before it made contact, Leo drew his sword and sliced the arrow in two. He put his sword away and saw there was a piece of paper attached to the broken arrow.

"Ok it's not your regular mail." Leo commented picking up the paper. "I guess Mikey would call it 'air mail'."

Leo unrolled the paper and saw there was something written on it.

 _Warrior._

 _You are needed regarding an urgent matter of the highest honor. Meet me at the abandoned warehouse a 5th and broadside avenue. If you follow the way of Bushido, you will come and you will come alone._

"Hmm," Leo contemplated. "That's not far from here."

With that, Leo made his way to the designated destination. Not knowing he was being tailed by three mysterious yet equally skilled warriors.

…

Finally, Leo reached the warehouse. Once he made it to the ground, he made it to the door. Just as he went inside, Don, Raph, and Mikey landed on the ground and moved closer to the door.

"See Don?" Mikey asked. "Leo's been actin funny. And I don't mean ha-ha funny, I mean funny-funny."

"I see what you mean." Donnie admitted. "It's not like him to just go off like this."

"Yeah, he's been acting a lot like me." Raph noted.

"And the last thing we need is another you." Mikey commented. "Now another me would be a different story. Another me would be a good thing."

"Uh guys," Donnie called beginning to climb to the roof. "You coming?"

Raph and Mikey then followed Donnie to the roof.

Leo meanwhile entered the warehouse to see it resembled something of a dojo. This impressed Leo, but he was not quick to let down his guard.

"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone here?"

He stopped dead in his tracks to see a banner bearing the dragon's foot symbol that was worn by the ninjas that attack them. Just then, thirteen ninjas came out of the shadows and circled around Leo. He quickly drew his swords in preparation for battle.

…

On the roof, the other turtles were watching the scene through a skylight.

"Yikes!" Donnie exclaimed. "Thirteen on one?"

"Well that hardly seems fair." Mikey commented pulling out his nunchucks. "I mean there's only thirteen of them."

"It ain't about what's fair." Raph responded stopping his brother. "Besides if Leo needs us we're here. Let's just see how this plays out."

…

Leo clenched his swords as his opponents circled around him. Just then, two ninjas leaped towards him. Thinking fast, Leo leaped towards them. He managed to get over them and kick them to the ground. As he landed, he performed a roundhouse kick to three other ninjas rushing towards him. The rest came rushing at him. With every strike of his sword, kick, or his with the swords hilt, the ninjas fell. Leonardo then stood over his fallen enemies in victory. He then heard the sound of slow clapping. He looked up to see the leader from earlier in the rafters. He then leapt down to the ground a few feet away from Leo.

"Very impressive." He complimented.

Leo readied his swords again in preparation for combat.

"I see you wanted a rematch after last time." Leo surmised.

The leader threw his hands up in defense.

"I didn't come to fight. Just talk." He explained before he removed his mask to reveal a relatively young man with short black hair. "I am Nakumo, second in command of the Foot Clan, and leader of its New York faction.

Leo raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"And you are?" he asked.

Leo finally put away his swords.

"Leonardo." He told him.

"Your skills are amazing," Nakumo said. "Your appearance though…"

"It's not a costume." Leo interrupted. "I know that maybe hard to believe."

"It is." Nakumo admitted. "But it is not important as to why you're here."

"Why am I here?" Leo asked.

"I felt it was urgent we meet." Nakumo answered. "There are things you need to know."

"That's for sure." Leo responded. "Like why these ninjas, your ninjas, attacked us earlier tonight."

"It was not personal I assure you." Nakumo explained. "We merely thought you were agents of one of our enemies."

"What like the Purple Dragons or the Kraang?" Leo asked.

Nakumo paused for a second. He had not heard of these 'Kraang' before, but he knew they must be important to him. So he decided to play along.

"Not like them. Exactly them."

This got Leo's attention.

…

Above, the others were trying to listen in.

"What are they saying?" Raph asked.

"Don't know," Mikey told him. "Can't hear."

"Don't worry boys," Donnie told them. "I came prepared."

Donnie then pulled out what looked like a modified stethoscope and placed it against the glass.

"Is that a stethoscope?" Raph asked.

"It was," he answered. "Before I upgraded it."

"What do you know?" Mikey remarked. "It's been certified turtle-fied."

That earned Mikey a smack on the head from Raph.

"Never say that again." He told him.

"Hey!" Donnie called out. "I'm trying to listen."

…

"You see, I serve a master who controls an organization designed to combat forces that would seek to obtain power in this world through crime, political manipulation, and corruption reaching a global scale. The Purple Dragons and the Kraang are just a few forces that would want nothing less than the subjugation of this world."

"Whoa." Leo let out.

"Indeed." Nakumo agreed.

"How long have you been doing this?" He asked.

"For many years," Nakumo told him. "My master has lead this charge against the forces of evil as his master did, and his master before him, and his master before. Now I am hoping you will join us. To fight these great evils."

Leo was surprised by this proposition.

…

"What are they saying?" Mikey asked.

"They're talking about fighting evils like the Kraang and the Purple Dragons." Donnie reported. "And they want Leo to join."

"He's not gonna do it is he?" Raph asked.

"He hasn't said yet." Donnie told them. "Shh."

…

"This," Leo started. "This sounds like a remarkable opportunity… but I need time to think this over."

"I understand." Nakumo acknowledged. "Go. Meditate on what you have heard, and return tomorrow night with your decision. But first…"

Nakumo clapped and a ninja came towards them carrying a sword on a pillow.

"This sword has existed in the Foot for three centuries." Nakumo explained. "It was crafted by the master Toshi Kurahara in the 16th century. It is said that in the forging-"

"Kurahara folded the metal over 700 times." Leo finished. "To remove any impurities."

Nakumo smirked at this.

"Still as impressive as ever." Nakumo remarked. "It is yours."

"What!?" Leo responded. "No I couldn't I-"

"I insist." Nakumo said handing Leo the sword. "Take it as a token of my…sincerity."

With that, Nakumo bowed to Leo and backed into the shadows, leaving him alone.

…

On top, the other turtles were trying to process what just happened.

"Gee," Mikey remarked. "And I thought Master Splinter said never to take swords from strangers."

"Come on let's get back." Raph ordered. "I'm gonna have a few words with our fearless leader when he gets home."

…

Later on, Leo made it back to the lair. Discreetly, he made his way to the dojo. Once there, he unsheathed the sword to get a better look at it. He held it and swung it around in a graceful manner.

"This is beautiful." He remarked taking a better look at it.

"Fancy letter opener." A voice remarked.

Leo turned and pointed his sword at what turned out to be Raph leaning in the entrance to the dojo with Donnie and Mikey behind him.

"That the price for selling out these days?" he asked.

Leo lowered his sword realizing what he was referring to.

"You followed me." Leo put together.

"And you were thinking of joining up with that creep!" Raph accused getting off the wall.

"No!" Leo defended. "Well yes… but it's not what you think."

"Well what is it Leo?" Donnie asked. "Cause it sounds like you were thinking about ditching everything we know to work for some shady characters."

"No one's ditching anyone." Leo clarified. "I'm only talking about working with another group of ninjas to fight threats like the Purple Dragons and the Kraang. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing really." Mikey admitted. "But something about these guys seems fishy."

"What's that thing got?" Raph asked walking over to Leo. "Some kind of mind control device? Cause you have lost it bro."

Raph took hold of the sword and tried taking it away from Leo.

"Hey!" Leo let out pulling it away from him. "Give it back!"

"What?" Raph responded. "You can just get your new one."

"I said give it back!" Leo yelled before kicking Raph.

He impacted into the wall and slowly pulled himself up.

"Alright Leo," Raph started to say pulling out his sai. "Time to teach you a lesson."

Leo readied his new sword and the two brothers glared each other down. Finally they charged towards each other. The two came to an abrupt stop as they locked weapons. Raph pushed Leo away and then lunged forward with his sai. Leo swatted it away with his sword and then took a swipe at Raph. Raph was quick to duck under it and then performed a kick at Leo's face. Leo fell back but was able to spring back up with one hand before rushing towards Raph again to continue the fight.

Off to the side, Donnie and Mikey were just watching their brothers go at it. Mikey looked over at Donnie holding a piece of paper.

"Whatcha got there?" Mikey asked.

"A score card of Raph and Leo's fights." Donnie explained. "And so far it's ten to seven in Leo's favor."

"Neat." Mikey commented. "Who do you think will win this one?"

"Hard to say," Donnie admitted. "Leo's skill is nearly on par with Raph's brute strength."

The two continued to watch as the fight resumed.

…

In his room, Splinter was awoken from his slumber by what sounded like his sons fighting.

"Do I have to lock them in their rooms every night?" Splinter complained, getting out of bed.

…

Back in the dojo, Leo and Raph continued their fight. Leo swung his sword at Raph who blocked it with his sai. Raph then aimed his sai down and the struck Leo's sword and the two were locked again. At that very moment, Splinter entered the room.

"What is going on in here?!" Splinter yelled getting the attention of Mikey and Donnie. "Do you have any idea what-?"

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the sword Leo was using as he kicked Raph to the ground. A swell of memories flooded over him, and none of them were pleasant.

Raph landed on the ground when Leo put his foot on his chest and aimed his sword at him.

"Wanna call it?" Leo asked.

Just then, his sword was knocked out of his hand. It spun through the air before it was caught by a furious Splinter.

"Where did you get this?!" He questioned.

"Leo's new buddy gave it to him." Raph answered getting up.

"Sensei, those ninjas we fought may not be the bad guys after all." Leo explained. "They seem dedicated to the ideals of honor and justice like us."

"The man who gave you this sword is no friend Leonardo." Splinter told him. "He and the ninja that surround him are dangerous."

"Sensei that's not fair." Leo challenged. "You don't even know them."

"I know they destroy everything that gets in their way!" Splinter yelled. "Caring nothing for the ones that get caught in the crossfire!"

This caught everyone off guard. They had never seen their master this angry before.

"Whoa Sensei. You act like you know who these guys are." Mikey commented. "Do you?"

Splinter looked around at his sons, before finally exhaling in defeat.

"My sons, I had hoped this day would never come." Splinter admitted. "Yes Michelangelo, I know who these people are. I have always known."

The turtles were shocked by this as Splinter pulled out the cloth Mikey gave him.

"This is the symbol of the Foot. A clan of the most skilled and deadliest ninja warriors in all the world. Their leader is a man named Oroku Saki. But he has a much more horrible moniker: the Shredder."

For whatever reason that name sent a shiver of fear down their spines.

"The Shredder?" Donnie asked.

"Uh…maybe he just has a knack for making coleslaw?" Mikey joked trying to sound brave.

Several glares from his brothers immediately shot him down.

"I have often told you of my beloved Master Yoshi," Splinter began again. "But now it is time you knew the whole truth."

...

 _Japan, many years ago._

 _Young Chung Li had been living on the streets for most of his life. After his parents were killed during an altercation with the Yakuza, he had been left alone to roam the streets, scavenging for whatever food he could find._

 _One day, while searching the gutters for any spare change, he happened across a dojo. He snuck inside, hoping to find something to eat, but instead found a man he would later learn to be Hamato Yoshi. Yoshi was in the midst of Ninjutsu practice, performing katas with a regal majesty. Li was fascinated by his movements and mimicked them himself._

 _He didn't know it at the time, but that was his first lesson in the art of Ninjutsu._

 _Unfortunately, Li's movements were unrefined, lacking in the fluidity that Yoshi portrayed. As such. He soon lost his balance and stumbled into the room Yoshi was practicing in._

 _Li was of course scared for his life, scrambling to his feet as Yoshi turned to him. He squealed in fear, bowing in apology while stammering out a barely audible apology. Li was almost certain that Yoshi would throw him out, or worse. However, he just smiled at the boy, crouching down so they were at eye level._

 _"You wish to learn Ninjutsu young one?" Yoshi asked._

 _Li was frozen for a moment, then gave a tentative nod. Yoshi straightened up, then offered the boy his hand. In complete disbelief, Li took it._

...

"Since then, he took me in and trained me." Splinter explained. "Teaching me everything he knew about Ninjutsu, and giving me a place in the once honorable Foot Clan."

"So that's how you met Master Yoshi." Mikey said softly.

"He must have been a pretty big deal if nobody questioned him bringing you in." Raph remarked.

"Indeed." Splinter agreed. "Yoshi was one of the clan's most formidable warriors, and because of that very few could surpass his skills. He knew only one rival, a man named Oroku Nagi. Their competitions were fierce and numerous and it was through one of their contests that I meant Nagi's younger brother, Oroku Saki.

...

 _Li watched as Yoshi and Nagi continued to spar. Their movements were fast and precise, neither one willing to relent to the other. As he continued to watch another young man sat down next to him._

 _"Seems quite futile doesn't it?" he asked, causing Li to turn towards him._

 _"What do you mean?" Li wondered._

 _"They're both skilled warriors, and the best the Foot has to offer." he commented. "What does it matter which one is better?"_

 _"Yeah," Li agreed. "I suppose you're right. They'd probably be reduced to throwing tarts at the Sensei's if they thought it would determine who was better."_

 _Both of them shared a laugh at that joke._

 _"You're Yoshi's pupil, right?" he asked._

 _"Chung Li." he answered holding out his hand._

 _"Saki." the young man replied, shaking it. "Oroku Saki."_

...

"We kept conversing after that and our comradery grew. As the years went on our friendship grew into brotherhood." Splinter seemed to smile a bit as he recalled some of these fonder memories, but that soon gave way to a deep-rooted sadness. "As our friendship grew stronger however, so did Nagi and Yoshi's rivalry. That competition took a turn of the worst when they both fell in love with the same woman, Tang Shen. Both loved her fiercely and competed for her affection. In the end however, it was my Master Yoshi that won her heart."

"Alright Yoshi!" Mikey cheered.

"Sounds like a happy ending." Leo noted.

"Perhaps," Splinter agreed. "But it does not end there. On the eve of their wedding, Nagi confronted Shen. He demanded that she renounce her love for Yoshi and choose him instead. She refused, and in a fit of rage attacked her."

...

 _Tang Shen's scream echoed throughout the night. Yoshi, who had been passing by on his nightly patrol, rushed into the home. What he saw horrified him. Nagi was standing over Shen, her dress torn over and blood on her face and neck. She had bruises already beginning to form, and from the bloodied knuckles of Nagi's clenched fist, it was clear who had inflicted them._

 _"Nagi!" Yoshi yelled. "What have you done?!"_

 _"Yoshi you dog," Nagi shouted back, tossing Shen to the ground. "If I can't have her, no one can!"_

 _Infuriated, Yoshi charged toward Nagi and the two engaged in combat. Nagi quickly kicked Yoshi into a wall before grabbing a sword off the wall and charging at him. Yoshi did the same and the two engaged in combat. The two continued trading blow for blow, both blinded by pure rage and hatred._

 _Li, who had been coming after his Master, saw two shadows engaged in what seemed like a sword fight. He rushed inside to see what was happening, but by the time he got there, the fight was over. Yoshi stood over Oroku Nagi, his sword stained with blood as the life fled from Nagi's eyes._

...

"Master Yoshi was devastated that he had killed a member of his own clan. His only options at this point were either seppuku, honorable suicide, or exile."

"He didn't kill himself, did he Sensei?" Don questioned.

"No." Splinter reassured him, "Both Shen and I begged Yoshi not to take his own life, so he settled for the latter. I helped him and Shen escape to America, even setting fire to Yoshi's home to fake their deaths, so that they may seem dead in the eyes of anyone why knew them. Everything seemed like it would work out...until Saki learned the truth."

…

 _One day while Li was out in the field practicing his katas, Saki walked over to him. Li saw this and noted the enraged look he had on his face._

 _"Saki," Li greeted. "Is everything alright?"_

 _"Not entirely my friend." Saki shared._

 _"Well what's wrong?" Li asked. "Is there anything I can do?"_

 _"You can tell me where Hamato Yoshi is." Saki answered bluntly._

 _Li was taken aback by that._

 _"I… I am not sure what you-"_

 _"Do not insult me Li." Saki told him. "I saw you down at the docks. You helped smuggle Yoshi and Shen onto that boat! You let my brother's killer escape!"_

 _"It wasn't like that!" Li insisted._

 _"Then you deny that Yoshi took my brother's life?!" Saki asked._

 _Li wanted to answer, but couldn't. Saki took this silence as confirmation_

 _"You were always dedicated to your master," Saki admitted. "But to just let him slide when he should be held accountable for his crimes?"_

 _"He has gone into exile." Li insisted._

 _"With his beloved Tang Shen every step of the way." Saki taunted. "True justice must be served here, and if you were really my friend, you'd stand by me on this."_

 _"I am your friend Saki." Li told him._

 _"You were," Saki threw back. "Now you're just a lackey for a coward and a murderer!"_

 _That last comment made something snap in Li. He lashed out at Saki, knocking him to the ground. As Saki pulled himself up, Li regained his sense, recognizing what he had done._

 _"Saki," he let out, offering him a hand. "Forgive me, I-"_

 _Saki just slapped the hand away as he got to his feet._

 _"Just leave me, Li." he told him before walking off, leaving Li alone with the knowledge that he had lost his oldest friend._

...

"After that day, he severed all ties of brotherhood with me and threw himself fully into his training." Splinter resumed. "I believe his clouded mind affected him as he studied martial arts and the history of the Foot. They once believed in a philosophy that the strong and powerful should have dominance over the weak. He believed that this ideal should be the mission of the Foot once again. Saki excelled in his training. He was promoted time and time again, until he was finally named Foot Grand Master."

…

 _At the graduation ceremony, Saki stood before his piers with a suit of armor in a glass case behind him._

 _"My fellow warriors," Saki addredded. "The Foot Clan has become weak! Over the years it has rotted from the inside. This however, was not always true. In centuries past, the Foot was the strongest of all ninja clans! They achieved this power under the guidance of the greatest warrior the world has ever known; the Shredder! But the moniker was abandoned by Master Hisomi in the eleventh century, and the Foot has suffered for it. Well no more!"_

 _Saki then went over to the case and shattered it, much to the surprise of the clan. He then picked up one of the gauntlets and put it on, activating the claw inside. He then picked up the helmet and raised it high overhead._

 _"It is time for the Foot to regain its former glory!" he declared. "It is time for the Shredder to rise again!"_

 _The ninjas bowed in response to his proclamation, all except for Li in the back, feeling fearful and sorrowful of the events before him_

...

"Within months, Saki converted the once honorable Foot Clan into a vast criminal empire." Splinter told them. "Engaged in numerous illegal activities. Drug smuggling, arms dealing, and most prolific, assassinations."

"Master," Leo spoke up. "Did you…"

"Partake in this?" Splinter finished. "No. I too fled the Foot Clan after I saw the dark direction Saki had taken it. I fled to Nepal where I adapted a quiet life of peace and meditation. For a time I was happy… but it did not last."

"Shredder found you, and he probably tried to kill you." Raph guessed.

"Yes." Splinter answered "I was able to fend them off, but I knew Master Yoshi would be in danger. So I came to New York, desperate to find my master. By the most fortuitous of circumstances, I was able to locate him. He said he was working as a security officer at some cooperation, though I regret that I forget the name. I told him of Saki's doings and warned him that his life may be in jeopardy. We raced back to his apartment to collect Shen and his newborn child and flee the country. But we were too late.

...

 _Li and Yoshi entered the latter's home to see the entire place in ruins. On the floor in the living room, Yoshi's beloved Shen lay dead. Yoshi could hardly believe what he was seeing, but before either of them could make another move, they saw her killer. From the shadows of the room, ermerged Oroku Saki, now dressed in the armor of the Shredder._

 _"Saki." Yoshi spoke._

 _"Hamato Yoshi." Saki greeted. "We meet again at last. I see you brought your treacherous apprentice with you."_

 _Li winced at that remarked._

 _"Your feud lies with me Saki!" Yoshi yelled. "There is no need to involve my family!"_

 _"I disagree." Saki countered. "When I buried my brother, I swore that I would destroy you and all those that chose to follow you. Tonight that promise is fulfilled!_

 _With that, Saki extended the claws that came from his gauntlets and charged toward them. The two fought him off to the best of our ability, but Saki had grown quite skilled since the last time he met either of them. He was able to land a series of blows on Li, one after the other. He then took a swipe with his claw, slicing Li's left ear before kicking him out the window._

 _"No!" Yoshi let out._

 _"It's no less then he deserved!" Shredder replied turning towards him. "After so many lies, after so much dishonor!"_

 _Shredder tried striking at him, but Yoshi blocked the attack and palm struck him in the chest, sending him skidding back._

 _"You only dishonor yourself!" Yoshi retorted, taking a fighting stance. "Being so callus, so cruel, so filled with hate!"_

 _Shredder had enough and charged at him again, causing Yoshi to roll out of the way of his claw strike. Li had thankfully been quick enough to grab onto the ledge and pulled himself up to see the rest of the fight. Yoshi quickly grabbed a sword he had on the wall and used it to block the Shredder's blows._

 _While Yoshi fought honorably, Shredder was not above using dishonorable methods. He threw blinding powder in Yoshi's face, and striking him again and again. Finally Shredder had Yoshi by the throat and extended his claw._

 _"I have beaten you murderer." He declared. "Any last words."_

 _Master Yoshi was defiant until the end._

 _"He who lives without honor… will end without honor."_

 _Shredder let out a roar and drove his claw into Yoshi. Shocked by this, Li let go of the ledge and fell into the dumpster below._

...

"I awoke sometime later. The Shredder was gone, and I was alone. I could not return to my old life for fear that the Shredder would find me there and hurt those I cared about. So I retreated to the sewers, where I was sure no one would find me. It wasn't long after that I found you, my sons." Splinter concluded.

"And I think we know the rest." Leo surmised.

"Why didn't you ever tell us this before?" Raph asked.

"I would have," Splinter admitted. "At one point, I had considered using you to succeed where I failed. To end the Shredder."

All the turtles looked at each other in surprise before looking back as Splinter.

"Why didn't you then?" Mikey asked.

"Mostly because of you Michelangelo." Splinter answered shocking the turtles again.

...

 _The turtles were four years old, and quite a ways into their training. Splinter was in the midst of meditating when he felt something tug at his robe. He looked down to see Michelangelo standing there, one hand on Splinter's robe and the other holding a piece of paper._

 _"Michelangelo? Shouldn't you be training with the others?" Splinter questioned._

 _"Yes…" he answered nervously, fiddling with the paper in his hand. "I just… I made you something."_

 _He held out the paper for Splinter, and after a minute, he took it. Scribbled on the paper was a crude drawing of all four of the turtles, as well as Splinter._

 _"Is this us?" Splinter asked._

 _"Yeah." Mikey answered, not as nervous as before. "It's our family."_

 _The word family caught Splinter off guard. His thoughts of vengeance vanished from his mind as quickly as they had entered, and all Splinter could see were the eyes of a hopeful and innocent little child. That was something no one should destroy._

 _"Do you like it?" Michelangelo asked._

 _"Yes Michelangelo." Splinter replied, a small smile on his face as he ran his hand across Mikey's head. "I like it very much."_

 _Michelangelo grinned widely at the compliment, and the pet._

 _"Hey Mikey!" Leonardo called out as he and the others came up to him. "We still have some training to do."_

 _"No Leonardo." Splinter corrected, getting to his feet while still holding the drawing. "There will be no more training today."_

 _"Really Sensei?" Mikey asked._

 _"Really." Splinter answered._

 _All four turtles cheered upon hearing that, running from the dojo to go and play. Mikey ran off to join them, their laughter filling their small home. Splinter watched them go, reveling in the joy and love he felt pouring out of them. It was that day that he realized how innocent the turtle creatures- no, his sons, truly were._

...

"And I could not destroy that innocence in a mad search for revenge." Splinter concluded. "So I continued to train you for your protection. I cared for you. I loved you. And I kept the truth from you."

After saying that, Splinter immediately turned serious.

"But now you must see what forces you are dealing with." He told them. "You must know who Oroku Saki, the Shredder truly is. He serves no great purpose! He fights no great evil! He is great evil! Everything he does is to obtain that which he desires! Caring nothing for those who serve under him, or the people he hurts!"

"And I bought into his buddies lies." Leo let out. "Man, I am such an idiot."

"I could've told you that." Raph remarked.

"Hey don't beat yourself up bro." Mikey tried to cheer up.

"Yeah you've been played bro." Donnie added. "Saw you coming from a mile away."

"So what do we do about it?" Raph asked.

"Nakumo wants an answer right?" Leo asked. "Well I say we give him one. Turtles style."

…

The following night, Nakumo waited on the roof of the warehouse he met Leo previously. His eyes snapped open and he turned around to see Leo standing there holding the sword he gave him.

"Leonardo." Nakumo greeted. "Glad you made it. Have you come to your decision?"

"I have." Leo answered. "Tell Oroku Saki the answer is no. Oh, and you can have your sword back."

Leo tossed the sword at Nakumo, who caught it and pulled it out of its sheath and tossing said sheath away.

"Disappointing," he admitted. "But not entirely unexpected."

Just then several Foot ninja came out of the shadows and joined Nakumo on the rooftop.

"Precautions in case I said no?" Leo asked.

"Fortune favors the prepared." Nakumo answered.

"Wish I thought of that." Leo admitted before a puff of purple smoke came out of nowhere and his brothers appeared behind him. "Oh wait, I did."

He and his brothers drew their weapons and prepared to face down the preverbal army in front of them.

"Let's dance." Leo taunted.

"Foot ninja, attack." Nakumo commanded.

The Foot and the turtles charged towards each other and the fight began.

Leo swung his swords slicing through the weapons of his enemies and delivering one punch and kick after another sending his enemies to the ground out cold.

Donnie blocked one sword attack and used his staff to strike him in the gut. One ninja came up behind him, and he just nailed him in the gut with his staff without even looking at him.

Mikey was surrounded by ninjas on all sides as he just spun his nunchucks.

"Can we talk?" Mikey asked.

The ninjas just charged toward him ready to attack. Mikey let his chuks loose striking every ninja that got close to him. Once he stopped, he saw that all the ninjas were on the ground unconscious.

"Guess not." Mikey joked.

Raph caught one sword with his sai then delivered a fierce kick to the ninja. He then spun around and nailed another ninja in the face with the blunt end of his sai.

Leo just finished one ninja when Nakumo cape up and attacked him with his sword. The two continued to exchange blows with their weapons back and forth.

"A shame you refused to join us." Nakumo lamented. "You could have served my master well."

"Thanks," Leo responded. "But I think I'm good with my brothers."

Nakumo struck Leo with his fist and swept his legs knocking him to the ground. Leo looked up to see Nakumo pointing the sword at him.

"What do your brothers have that we do not?" he asked.

Just then, a pair of green arms wrapped around him and hoisted him into the air.

"Each other's backs." Raph answered keeping his grip on him.

Nakumo then pulled a knife from his belt and drove it into Raph's side. He let out a groan of pain.

"What are you gonna do now freak?" Nakumo asked with a smirk on his face.

"This." Raph answered.

He then threw himself, with Nakumo off the edge of the roof. Leo, Don, and Mikey then rushed to the edge to see their brother.

"Raph!" Leo called out.

They looked over to see Nakumo lying in a pile of trash in the alley and Raph hanging onto the ledge with his sai imbedded into the wall.

"Ha-ha!" he called out. "And you thought katana were the best ninja weapons."

"It's not the weapon Raph," Leo told him as he and the others helped him up. "It's the ninja who wields it."

"Though I gotta admit Raph," Donnie spoke. "Throwing yourself off the roof without warning hardly seems fair."

"That because it ain't." Raph replied.

The turtles high-threed each other before heading home.

…

Back at the lair, the turtles grabbed slices of pizza and chowed down while Donnie patched up Raph's injury.

"Nothing says victory like a slice of pizza." Mikey declared.

The others just raised their slices in agreement.

"You all performed admirably tonight." Splinter commended.

"Thank you Sensei." Leo responded. "And, sorry about snapping at you before."

"It is quite alright my son. It would seem you have learned many lessons tonight."

"I'm just glad we're done with this whole Foot thing." Raph let out.

Splinter's smile faded after hearing that. Somehow, he knew that their dealings with the Foot Clan were far from over.

…

In Japan, Oroku Saki was sitting at his desk listening to Nakumo report what happened with the turtles while reviewing the footage of the fight secretly recorded.

"So you failed to bring the turtles into the fold." Saki surmised.

 _"Yes Master."_ Nakumo confirmed. _"What should we do now?"_

"I do not know." Saki admitted. "The way you described their fighting it almost seemed like something I have seen before. Something…"

Saki paused as the fight progressed. He saw one of the turtles, Raphael, block an oncoming strike of a Foot Ninja and palm strike him in the hand, sending him skidding across the roof. Saki was mesmerized by this, knowing he had seen it somewhere before.

 _"Master,"_ Nakumo spoke up, getting Saki's attention. _"What should we do?"_

Saki paused for a moment.

"Nothing." He finally spoke. "Hold your position until I arrive."

 _"Master?"_ Nakumo questioned.

"I wish to oversee this operation personally."

Nakumo bowed before the transmission cut out.

"That move…" Saki contemplated. "Only one other man has used that move on me before… Hamato Yoshi. But that's impossible. He's been dead for fifteen years. Him, his wife, his…"

Saki came to a realization. He then pressed an intercom button his desk.

"Tell my daughter I wish to see her." He demanded.

…

Sometime later, a teenage girl with black hair and red make-up on the top of her eyes entered the office.

"You sent for me father?" she asked.

As she entered, Saki was putting on special looking armor with blades gracing his shoulders, arms, and legs, a metal chest plate, and a purple cape.

"Pack your things." He instructed. "We're going to New York."

"New York? Why?" she asked.

Before he answered, he took a helmet that had a tri-piece ordainment on top and covered everything except his eyes and put it on.

"Let's just say, I'm going to visit with an old friend."


	7. Garbage In, Kraang Out

_Here's another fine mess we've gotten ourselves into. My name is Michelangelo by the way. It seems our latest adventures had led us all the way out to a mysterious junkyard island… thingy. We were hoping to find some friends of ours that have gone missing. But we ended up finding them, some Kraang, and a whole lot of trouble._

...

"Woohoo." A kid in a t-shirt, shorts, and a baseball cap cried skateboarding on top of piles of garbage. "And now the campion, Mark goes for the record!"

He then rode up a pile of trash and leapt into the air.

"Cowabunga!" the kid yelled as he flipped through the air.

Just as he landed on the ground, Michelangelo came up on his own skateboard alongside him.

"You think that's cool, watch this!" He said before skating up another pile of trash. "Booyakasha!"

He obtained major amounts of air time, even greater than Mark's. Down below, the other turtles were going through the piles of trash looking for any leftover trash they could

use to improve the lair. Seeing Mikey having so much fun while they were working really seemed to anger Raph.

"Why isn't Mikey helping?" he asked angrily. "It's not fair!"

"Oh, but he is helping." A voice replied.

The turtles turned to see an elderly man in a scarf and technicolored hat. They recognized him as the Professor, a friend of theirs. Since the homeless are often looked over by the world, it puts them on a common ground with the turtles and a basis for becoming friends.

"He is providing young Mark with some much needed companionship." The Professor continued.

"He's right Raph." Donnie agreed. "Being a kid alone on the streets can't be easy. Mikey's just being a friend for the little guy. That's not so bad is it?"

Raph turned back to see Mikey and Mark skating together.

"I guess." Raph relented. "I still think it's unfair that Mikey's goofin off while were doing all the work."

"Well look at it this way Raph," Leo chimed in. "Would you rather have Mikey happy, or Mikey bored?"

Raph paused to consider his brothers question.

"Right." Raph finally relented.

Mikey and Mark skate over to the others and get off their respective boards.

"Thanks for the race man." Mark said graciously.

"No problemo little buddy." Mikey responded back.

The two then proceeded to do a fist bump as the other turtles were talking to the Professor.

"I trust you were able to find some useful items amidst the refuse." The Professor inquired.

"Quite a bit actually." Donnie replied rummaging through the duffle bag he brought.

He then pulled out a stack of blankets and handed them to the Professor.

"We also brought these for you," He offered. "To help with the cold nights.

"Much obliged Donatello." The Professor responded.

The Professor then went about handing the blankets to the others there. The most grateful out of the bunch was a group of four men wearing, of all things, Hawaiian shirts. When asked about that, they told them that they were four brothers vacationing from Louisiana and had all their belongings stolen. Having nowhere else to go, they made friends with the Professor and his colleagues, and eventually the turtles.

"Thank you my reptilian friends." One of the four named Gene said graciously.

"Indeed." Another one named Archie agreed. "Your kindness is much appreciated."

"Don't mention it guys." Leo responded. "I only wish we had some different clothes for you guys to wear. You must be freezing in those shirts."

"A bit yes." A third named Ralph answered. "But it's not that bad."

"At least we have these now." The final one named Ned interjected. "We won't have to worry about the cold for a long while."

"You guys can find the best parts of any situation." Mikey marveled. "I respect that."

"Yeah, but there seems to be a lot less of you than usual." Raph noted.

"Some guys seem to be disappearing in the middle of the night." Gene explained.

"And the weirdest part is that they don't take their stuff." Ned added. "Spooky."

"I have a theory as to that." The Professor chimed in. "There has been talk of 'something' taking us away in the dead of night."

This got the turtles attention.

"There has been no face or body to go with this creature." He continued. "The only thing people seem to see… is a garbage truck."

The turtles look at each other before erupting into a fit of laughter.

"A haunted garbage truck?" Raph asked slowly regaining his composure. "You almost had me going there Professor."

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "Well we better run guys."

The turtles start to head out, but Donnie quickly walked up to the Professor.

"Hey, let us know if your friends show up." Donnie told him. "Or if anyone else goes missing."

"Count on it." The Professor replied as Donnie went to join his brothers.

...

Back at the lair, all the turtles were in the living room preoccupied with various activities. Raph was lifting weights, Mikey was reading a comic book, Donnie was working on something on his computer, and Leo was watching his favorite show, Space Heroes. Leo was a huge fan of the show and often looked to its main character, Captain Ryan, as a source of inspiration when it came to being a leader.

In this particular episode, Captain Ryan, his crew, and a group of villagers on the planet they landed on were surrounded by oncoming invaders.

 _"If we even stand a chance of defeating the destruct-inators,"_ Captain Ryan declared. _"Then we're going to need the help of the locals."_

 _"But sir,"_ Mr. Crankshaw, one of his crewmen, objected. _"They have no training. No combat experience. They'll be blown to bits in two seconds-"_

Captain Ryan responded by slapping him in the face.

 _"Though they lack the training of space cadets,"_ Ryan declared again. _"I know they have the hearts of them!"_

"You do realize this show is stupid right?" Raph asked Leo.

"Oh come on, Space Heroes is a great show." Leo defended. "And Captain Ryan is a great hero. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be the leader you guys know today."

"That makes sense considering how much you like to hear yourself talk." Raph joked.

Leo just rolled his eyes at that and went back to watching the show.

"So what do you guys think about what the Professor said before?" Donnie asked.

"Seems kinda fishy to me." Raph admitted. "A haunted garbage truck snatching up homeless people? Sounds like a dumb campfire story to me."

"And not a very scary one at that." Mikey added. "Though to be fair, ever since Master Splinter told us about the Shredder, scary stories have lost their edge."

"What do you think Don?" Leo asked.

"I'm not sure about this whole garbage truck thing," Donnie admitted. "But if the Professor is worried, we should take it seriously."

"Seriously huh?" Raph noted. "Guess that leaves Mikey out."

Mikey just stuck his tongue out at him in response. He quickly stopped when he saw Raph looking towards him.

...

A couple of nights later, the homeless were gathered around a fire listening to the Professor tell them his latest theory.

"And in conclusion," he spoke. "The space-time continuum is-"

He was cut off when he saw red lights on the ground that seemed to be emanating from behind him. He turned around to see the lights belonging to the headlights of a black and ominous looking garbage truck.

"What on earth?" the Professor asked surprised.

The garbage truck then plowed down the fence and charged towards the homeless. Everyone scattered. They tried to get away, but the garbage truck just kept charging around with extended arms grabbing one person after another and depositing it into its back.

Mark grabbed his skateboard and tried skating away from it. He turned back to see the Professor trying to climb the fence with the garbage truck closing in. He quickly turned around and skated towards him as the arms grabbed two ends of the fence and folded them on top of the Professor.

"Professor!" Mark yelled as he leapt on to the arms as it carried them towards the back.

"Mark!" The Professor called out. "Run!"

It was too late. The arms were already over the bed of the truck and dropped the Professor in. his grip weakening, Mark slipped and fell in right after him.

...

Later that night, the turtles were making their way across the rooftops towards the area the homeless were set up before. When they finally arrived, they were shocked to find the place trashed, and abandoned.

"Whoa, what happened here?" Mikey asked.

"No idea." Donnie answered walking forward. "Hello?! Professor?!"

Donnie continued walking until he felt his foot lower into something. He looked down to see he was stepping into a tire track. Right next to it was a puddle of oil. Don kneeled down to get a whiff.

"High grade hydraulic fluid" Donnie surmised.

"You mean, like stuff used with a garbage truck?" Mikey asked slightly scared.

"Possibly." Donnie admitted.

"You aren't seriously thinking that garbage truck theory is legit do you?" Raph asked.

"I don't know." Donnie responded. "All I know is something attacked them and it was big."

"What now?" Mikey asked.

"Let's check in with April and see if there are any police reports on missing persons in the past few days." Leo suggested.

...

Later, the turtles made their way to a rooftop as Donnie was finishing up his call with April.

"Alright. Thanks anyway." Donnie said before hanging up.

"Anything?" Leo asked.

"No." Donnie replied with a sad face. "No reports of missing homeless persons. No one's notices… or cares."

"Meanwhile something out there is snatching up our buds." Raph let out. "We gotta do something."

"Like what Raph?" Leo questioned.

Mikey casually looked across the sky while they were talking. He then spotted something that surprised him to no end.

"Uh guys!" He called out.

The others looked to see what Mikey was looking at. It looked like some kind of giant pigeon in pants flying through the sky.

"What the shell?" Raph questioned.

"Come on," Leo motioned. "Let's get a closer look."

The turtles then dashed across the rooftops in pursuit of this strange creature.

...

The turtles made their way to the lower rooftops as the pigeon flew overhead.

"What's his hurry?" Raph questioned.

"Must be running from something." Leo surmised.

"Think it's that?" Mikey asked pointing down to the street.

They all looked down to see a large garbage truck with red headlights chasing the pigeon.

"Looks like the Professor's haunted garbage truck theory was right." Donnie observed.

"We got a giant mutant pigeon running away from a killer garbage truck." Raph surmised. "Is it just me, or have our lives gone completely nutty since we first came to the surface?"

"Come on let's catch up with them!" Leo ordered.

The turtles then bolted across the rooftops in pursuit. Leo then leapt down off the roof. Drawing a sword, he stabbed into the roof. The truck swerved left and right as Leo struggled to hold on. Leo's grip finally let go and slid towards the side of the truck. He grabbed onto the roof before he fell and looked through into the cab.

"Guys!" he yelled. "I know what's up with the garbage truck!"

"You mean it really is haunted?!" Mikey yelled back as he and the others chased after it.

"Worse!" He answered back. "It's Kraang!"

In the cab were two Kraang droids in human suits. The one in the passenger seat took out a blaster and started firing at Leo. Leo was forced to drop off the truck as it drove off and started shooting at the pigeon. Leo rolled on the ground a bit before coming to an abrupt stop as his brothers ran up.

"We gotta stop them!" Leo declared.

"Way ahead of you." Raph responded pulling out a throwing star.

Raph then threw the throwing star at one of the trucks tires. The truck swerved for a bit before it completely tipped over and crashed.

"Not high on subtlety are ya Raph?" Donnie asked.

"Can't even spell it." Raph replied as the turtles ran off.

The Kraang managed to get out of the truck just as the turtles leapt onto the truck with their weapons drawn and Leo reclaimed his sword.

"Halt Kraang!" Leo demanded as the Kraang turned to face them.

"The halting of Kraang is not a thing that the ones who are turtles will be doing to Kraang." One Kraang responded.

"Wrong." Leo countered. "The halting of Kraang is exactly the thing that the ones who are- oh just halt!"

"Which do we save first?" Donnie asked. "The world or the English language?"

The Kraang then opened fire on them causing them to scatter. Donnie leapt down and knocked the blaster out of one of the Kraang's hands. He then spun his staff around and knocked the Kraang into the truck.

Raph kept leaping out of the way of the oncoming blaster fire. He finally threw one of his sai at the blaster. Mikey took the opportunity to smack Kraang upside the head knocking him towards Leo, who sliced him in half.

The turtles put away their weapons in victory as the pigeon dropped out of the sky with a smack. The turtles turned around to see the pigeon slowly getting up off the ground.

"You sure have a funny way of making friends bird boy." Mikey commented.

"Thanks," the pigeon replied. "And the name is Pete."

"Yeah, we don't care." Raph responded.

"Why were those Kraang attacking you Pete?" Leo asked.

"I escaped a Kraang facility." He answered. "Actually I was looking for you."

"Us?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah," Pete replied. "I was sent to find you by the Professor."

The Professor?!" They all asked.

"You know the Professor?" Donnie asked.

"We were both guests of the Kraang." Pete answered. "They poured some ooze on me. Turned me into this."

"So the Kraang are behind the homeless disappearances?" Mikey asked.

"What would the Kraang want with some homeless guys?" Raph asked.

"Probably so they could use them for mutation experiments like Pete here." Donnie answered.

"You must have been horrified to be turned into a pigeon like that." Mikey consoled.

"Actually I started out as a pigeon." Pete spoke up.

The turtles were honestly surprised by this revelation.

"Heh, if the Kraang really wanted to capture you, they would have just put out some bread crumbs." Raph commented.

Upon hearing that, Pete got right into his face.

"You got bread crumbs?" he asked excited.

"Two words, personal space." Raph told him shoving him out of his face.

"Where is the Professor?" Leo asked.

"I'll show you." Pete told them.

Pete then took to the skies. The turtles followed in pursuit.

...

After a while of running, the turtles saw Pete land on a dock. They wasted no time making their way down to him as he pointed out across the river.

"There." He told them. "That's where the Professor and the others are."

The turtles looked across the river to see some kind of island.

"Wait… I know that place." Donnie declared. "It's the best run landfill not only city, but the entire eastern seaboard."

"Best run doesn't mean 'best'," Leo responded. "It just means most profitable."

"A bunch of Kraang, alone on an island, in the middle of the river," Raph listed off. "Who knows what they could be up to?"

"Probably anything they want." Leo answered. "A few payoffs in the right hands can go a long way."

"Something stinks on that island," Mikey said doing a Schwarzenegger impression. "And it ain't the garbage."

This earned a smack on the back of the head from Raph.

"Yeah keep trying Mikey," Raph responded. "Someday you'll get a winner."

"Hey come on, that was pretty good." Mikey replied.

"Come on, let's check this place out." Leo told them.

The turtles dove into the water and swam towards the island. Pete took to the skies and flew across the river.

The turtles made it to the island as Pete landed there as well. The turtles and Pete made their way further onto the island but found no trace of the Kraang or their friends.

"You sure this is the place Pete?" Donnie asked. "This place seems pretty quiet."

"Yeah, a little too quiet." Leo responded.

The turtles stopped and ducked for cover at the sight of two Kraang marching back and forth in front of them. They quickly grabbed Pete in cover before he got spotted.

"Looks like a little patrol." Mikey whispered.

"I got em." Raph told them.

Raph moved behind one of the Kraang, and stabbed it in the back. He then turned him around and used his blaster to shoot the other Kraang in the back. Once the second Kraang fell, Raph let the first one drop.

"Well that was easy." Raph noted, spinning his sai a bit before putting it up.

"Yeah," Leo agreed as he and the others came up to join Raph. "A little too easy."

The turtles and Pete pressed onward further into the island. They then climbed up a large pile of trash and when they peered over, they saw several people in cages, a large vat of mutagen similar to the one from the facility they rescued Kirby O'Neil from, and a whole lot of Kraang droids.

"Kraang." Leo voiced.

"Yeah, a little too Kraang." Mikey joked.

Raph responded by smacking him on the head.

"Look." Donnie pointed out.

The turtles turned to see four frog like creatures in Hawaiian shirts sitting tied up in a cage. The turtles were able to recognize them almost instantly.

"It's Archie." Mikey quietly called out. "And Ralph, Gene, and Ned."

"The Kraang ARE using the homeless for mutagen experiments." Donnie confirmed.

"Let's move." Leo ordered.

Leo motioned Pete to stay he and his brothers made their down the pile. The turtles made their way down the pile and towards the cage undetected. Donnie started working

on picking the lock when the frogs saw them, spawning smiles on their faces.

"Guys!" Ned almost yelled.

"Shh." Leo silenced. "We're gonna get you out of here."

Ned nodded at him, but quickly grew a look of concern.

"Uh… Leonardo?"

"Shh." He silenced again.

"But… the Kraang-" Ned tried to explain.

"Quiet." Raph silenced. "They'll hear you."

"But," Ned spoke again. "They're right behind you."

The turtles propped their heads up and turned around to see three Kraang droids standing over them pointing their blasters at them.

"It is the ones called the turtles." One Kraang declared before they all opened fire.

The turtles bolted before the blaster fire connected. This alerted the other Kraang there and they all charged towards the turtles.

Leo deflected the oncoming blaster fire with his swords as he charged towards them. He finally reached a group of Kraang and sliced one in half. He then decapitated one Kraang bounced it off his foot a bit like a hacky sack ball and kicked it at another Kraang knocking him to the ground.

As many Kraang fired Raph, he kept spinning his sai to deflect them. Raph then threw a sai at one Kraang, impaling him in the head. Raph then charged toward it, grabbing his sai to spin it around and threw the Kraang at several other Kraang.

"Gotta love crushing Kraang droids." Raph commented.

Donnie continued swatting away one Kraang after another. As one ran up to him, he activated a switch on his staff and a metal blade sprung out the end impaling the Kraang. Mikey saw this as he was fighting and grew angry.

"Oh come on." he whined. "You give yourself a bladed weapon but not me?"

"Press the button on your nunchaku." Donnie replied.

"What button?" Mikey asked surveying his weapon.

He finally found the button and pressed it. Suddenly, the chain on Mikey's nunchaku extended and launched at a Kraang knocking it to the ground. Mikey looked at the handle and saw a small blade sticking out now. He couldn't believe it, but Donnie turned his nunchaku into a kusarigama. He smiled at this realization.

"Donnie," Mikey called back. "You the turtle!"

Mikey pulled the chain back and wrapped it around another Kraang and pulled him towards him. He then used the blade to decapitate the Kraang as he came flying at him. As the Kraang droid landed on the ground, the Kraang itself climbed out of the body and scurried away.

Mikey looked over at one of the cages and saw Mark inside. He ran towards the cage and kicked the lock, breaking it. He then threw the door open and cut Mark free from his binds.

"Mikey!" Mark yelled.

"Hang on buddy," Mikey reassured. "I'm gonna get you out of here."

"But the Professor," Mark informed as he got free. "He's in trouble."

"Where is he?" Mikey asked.

"This way!" Mark yelled as he bolted off towards the mutagen vat.

"Mark, wait!" Mikey yelled.

...

The Professor, meanwhile, was being dragged by some Kraang under the mutagen vat as some other Kraang were inserting some special DNA into the mixture. The Professor looked up to see the nozzle for the vat slowly open up.

Mark kept running towards the Professors location with Mikey following close behind. Mark saw an old skateboard sticking out of a pile of trash. Mark quickly grabbed it and rode on it towards the Professor. He finally made it up to him just as the mutagen was about to pour onto him.

"Professor!" Mark yelled leaping off the board towards him.

Mark knocked the Professor off the platform just as the mutagen made contact. The Professor rolled on the ground a bit before looking up to see Marks mutation. Mark groaned in pain as his skin turned scaly, his face contorted into a snout, and a tail grew out of his backside. Mikey ran up just as Mark fully mutated. Mark slowly got up and saw his reflection on the metallic ground. He had transformed into a gecko mutant.

"I'm a… a gecko."

"Mark," Mikey said as he walked up to him. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"This… is… awesome!" Mark cheered.

This statement took Mikey, the Professor, even the Kraang by surprise. Mark then leapt into the air attaching to the nozzle with his now adhesive hands.

"This is so cool!" he declared leaping off onto his skateboard and starting to skate around the landfill.

The Kraang then immediately opened fire on him, but he quickly skated around the blaster fire. Mark then launched his skateboard and one Kraang knocking him to the ground. He was quick to recover it and continued skating around the Kraang's fire. That's when the other turtles came up and witnessed what was going on.

"Who's the gecko?" Donnie asked.

"Oh that's Mark." Mikey answered. "He got hit by the mutagen trying to save the Professor."

"Mark's a mutant?" Leo asked surprised.

"Yup." Mikey replied.

"… He doesn't seem to mind it much." Donnie observed.

"Nah he really seems to be enjoying it." Mikey responded.

"He certainly seems to be giving the Kraang a run for their money." Raph noted.

That choice of words gave Leo an idea.

"Guys," he started to say. "I'll be right back."

He then ran back towards the cages, much to the surprise of the other turtles.

"Where's he going?" Mikey asked.

...

Back at the cages containing the frogs and the other homeless people, Leo came up and broke the locks of all of them with his swords.

"Guys," he spoke. "If we want to get out of this alive, we're gonna need your help."

"Us?" Archie asked. "Were just a bunch of bums off the street. We're not fighters like you."

"Neither is Mark." Leo continued. "But he's out there fighting the Kraang as we speak."

This got their attention.

"I know you guys aren't fighters." Leo continued to speak. "I know you didn't ask for this. To be homeless, to be taken, to be turned into what you are, but unless we take a stand, fight back, we will lose everything."

The homeless and the frogs all looked at each other nodding in agreement.

"So… are you with me?!" Leo shouted.

Everyone present cheered in agreement as they followed Leo towards the battle.

...

Back with the others, they continued taking down the Kraang present. Raph stabbed one more just as more came charging towards them.

"Oh come on!" Raph whined.

"Where's an army when you need one?" Mikey asked.

"Uh dudes?" Mark spoke up pointing in the opposite direction.

The turtles turn to see Leo charging towards them with the homeless and the frogs behind him.

"No way." Raph remarked.

"Way." Mikey responded.

With that, the turtles continued to fight the Kraang.

Ralph leapt into the air and shot out his tongue at a Kraang. He then spun it around in the air before throwing it at another group of Kraang. Some other Kraang were shooting at Ned, Archie, and Gene, who were jumping around avoiding the blaster fire. This proved to be a fitting distraction for Leo and Donnie to move in and slice the Kraang droids to pieces.

Raph kept spinning his sai to deflect the oncoming Kraang blaster fire. While they were shooting at him, Mark took a discarded blaster and started shooting at them. Raph was surprised to see the Kraang being shot down and looked to see Mark doing the deed. He just smirked in response, feeling very impressed.

Mikey was duking it out with a good number of Kraang with his newly discovered kusarigama. He was having so much fun; he didn't realize two Kraang were coming up behind him. Just then a voice cried out.

"Feel the feathered wrath of Pigeon Pete!" Pete cried out as he tackled the Kraang.

Pete then proceeded to peck the Kraang into submission. This was so much for the Kraang, they ejected out of their bodies as Pete continued pecking.

The other homeless people were picking up blasters and fighting off the Kraang themselves. This was causing the remaining Kraang to become uneasy.

"It would appear the advantage that is known as the advantage of Kraang has been lost by Kraang." One Kraang observed.

"Kraang suggests Kraang take the action of retreat that is known as strategic retreat." Another Kraang suggested.

"Kraang agrees." The first Kraang concurred.

The remaining Kraang ran towards the docs and piled onto a boat. The turtles looked over the ledge to see the boat taking off.

...

The turtles, the frogs, the Professor, Mark, Pete, and the rest of the homeless gathered around to discuss what they would do next.

"We can try and locate another boat so you can get off the island." Donnie told them.

"Actually," The Professor protested. "We were thinking of staying here."

"We don't belong in the regular world now." Archie added.

"Besides, there's food and shelter here." Gene continued.

"We can have a whole new life here." Ralph continued.

"I know I'm gonna love my new life." Mark added licking his eyes with his tongue. "How many people do you know who can do that?"

"Not many my friend." Mikey agreed. "You are one Mondo Gecko."

"Hey!" Mark perked up. "Mondo Gecko. I like it. From now on, I'm Mondo Gecko."

Mikey smiled at this.

"I approve." Mikey said giving him a high five.

"Hey Michelangelo." Ned spoke up. "Do you think you could give us new names as well?"

"Sure man." Mikey agreed.

Mikey thought for a moment trying to think of names for his friends. He then spotted a history book in the trash and picked it up. He flipped through the pages, skimming for good name ideas.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. "Gene, you're Genghis Frog."

Gene smiled at the name he was given and nodded in response. Mikey continued flipping through the book and found another name idea.

"Archie, how's Attila the Frog?" he asked.

Archie thought for a moment.

"I like it." He answered.

Mikey gave a thumbs up before turning back to the book. He skimmed through the pages and immediately found something else.

"Ralph," he began. "Try Rasputin the Mad Frog."

"Catchy." Ralph admitted.

"And Ned," Mikey concluded, tossing the book aside. "From now on, you're Napoleon BonaFrog."

"Perfect." Ned replied satisfied.

"Not your best name ideas." Donnie admitted.

"Hey if we can be Italian artists, I think these can work." Mikey countered.

This earned a laugh from everyone present, which was much needed after the day's events.

...

Back in the city, the abandoned Kraang body the turtles encountered before was just sitting in the alley abandoned. Just then it was picked up and had the artificial skin torn off to reveal the exoskeleton underneath. The one holding it was joined by another man dressed in the same uniform as him.

"Incredible." The first man remarked.

"Nakumo will want to know about this." The second man suggested.

The two Foot ninja then took off with their prize in hand.


	8. The Way of Invisibility

_Hey, names Raphael._

 _Ever see one of those old movies where the Private Eye wakes up after being knocked out cold? He always asks the same thing._

 _"Where am I?"_

 _Ok so it's not exactly original but it's true. I have no where I am. Is this an operating room? Torcher chamber? Alien spaceship? TV game show? All I know is I was following up on a lead Angel gave us, and the next thing I know, I'm strapped to a table with some probe thing lowering down to me._

 _I'm going to go out on a limb and say… not a game show._

...

In a major New York City skyrise, three key members of the Foot Clan stand in debate. Hun, leader of the Purple Dragons, Baxter Stockman, the Foot's top scientist, and Nakumo, the Foot's second in command. They were discussing what actions should be taken concerning their green skinned adversaries.

"Kung Fu frogs. Gecko Warriors. Ninja Turtles." Hun listed off looking at surveillance pictures of the turtles from their last encounter with the Foot. "How is it that we've handled rival gangs and cops in the past and yet, it's these freaks that are giving us the ropes?"

"I don't know." Nakumo answered begrudgingly. "But it is up to us to figure it out if we want to keep our heads."

…

Down below in a parking garage, a car pulled in and stopped in a designated parking spot. A man got out and walked towards the elevator. He pressed a button and the doors closed sending him up,

…

Stockman, now with a dark patch over his left eye signifying he lost it, took a look at the pictures chuckling.

"Is this a field report, or a fantasy novel?" Stockman asked.

Nakumo swatted the pictures away furious.

"Was it fantasy that destroyed your mousers?" Nakumo asked furious before turning to Hun. "Or that bested both your Purple Dragons, and my Foot soldiers?"

"Obviously not." Hun responded.

"Exactly." Nakumo confirmed

…

The elevator opened up and the man walked down the hallway towards a set of double doors. Every Foot ninja he passed bowed to him out of respect. He paid them no mind as he continued down the hall.

…

"Whoever these 'turtles' are, they must be dealt with, lest they cause irreparable damage to our work." Nakumo told them.

"Members of a rival gang perhaps?" Hun surmised.

"No," Nakumo dismissed. "They are too skilled to be mere street thugs."

"They're probably part of some government experiment." Stockman theorized.

"The Master isn't interested in theories, Stockman!" Nakumo berated, turning to him. "He wants answers! Like how freaks learned to fight like demons!"

"From the spawn of a demon." A voice responded.

The three turned to see a man wearing special armor. Blades on his shoulders, arms, and legs, a purple came, and helmet with a three piece ornament on the top that covered everything except his eyes, eyes that displayed naught but anger and hate.

"Master Shredder." Nakumo responded.

The three bowed to him out of respect as Shredder walked towards them.

"We didn't expect you so soon." Nakumo admitted. "We are working to figure out the origins of these turtles…"

"I have all the information I need to know." Shredder told them. "Specifically, where they received their training."

"What?" Nakumo asked standing up. "How?"

"The way the turtles fought in the footage you showed me was all too familiar to me." Shredder informed. "That style was an old Foot Clan style, one that was taught before I assumed command."

"What?" Nakumo let out.

"Rogue Foot warriors?" Hun suggested.

"One in particular… Hamato Yoshi."

"Impossible." Nakumo challenged. "Hamato Yoshi is dead. You killed him yourself."

"True…" Shredder admitted. "But I was less thorough with his apprentice."

"Chung Li?" Nakumo asked.

"Somehow he survived." Shredder surmised. "And it would seem that he is training ninjas of his own."

"For what purpose?" Nakumo asked.

"Maybe it's to take down our organization?" Hun suggested.

"I do not care for their purpose." Shredder voiced. "They have gone far beyond being a nuisance in our organization. They are a threat, one that I should have destroyed so many years ago." He turned to face them. "But now, I have a chance to fix that mistake, and eradicate these pests once and for all!"

"Yes Master." Nakumo acknowledged.

"If I may Master," Stockman spoke up. "I might have something that might help in dealing with this 'green menace'."

Shredder paused for a moment.

"Very well." He relented.

Stockman pulled out a remote from his pocket and activated it. A glass case rose from the ground containing the remains of a strange robot.

"Before you arrived in the city, a Foot patrol discovered this fascinating artifact from a back alleyway near the east river." Stockman informed. "While your second-in-command forbad me from studying the entire thing, I was able to obtain a small sample."

Stockman then clapped his hands.

"And with it, I was able to make my latest creation."

Just then, two ninjas in blue uniforms with orange eyes and the foot symbol on their chests jumped down from the rafters.

"Behold, the Foot-Tech Ninjas."

The two Foot-Tech Ninjas bowed before jumping forward ready to fight each other.

"My brilliant design cyber armor enhances the physical abilities,"

One Foot-Tech Ninja leapt towards the other, only to get kicked into a support beam bending it.

"Giving them enhanced strength," Stockman continued.

The Foot-Tech Ninja then got back on his feet at break neck speed and leapt at the second Foot-Tech Ninja.

"Speed,"

Before the first Foot-Tech Ninja made contact, the second one pressed the symbol on his chest and turned invisible, much to the surprise of the first Foot-Tech Ninja as he landed.

"And stealth capabilities." Stockman concluded

The Foot-Tech Ninja was then hit by the cloaked Foot-Tech Ninja. The first one punched the cloaked one so hard he was sent flying into the air and knocked over one of the torches in the room. Shredder was genuinely surprised by the display at hand.

"Impressive." He admitted. "Most impressive."

"And that was from only a sample of the alien artifact." Stockman continued. "If you truly had more sense than your second-in-command here you'd let me study the whole thing."

"Do not presume too much Stockman." Shredder threatened. "You have already failed me once, and suffered."

Stockman moved his hand to the area where his eye used to be.

"Bring me the turtles," he ordered. "And I will… consider your request."

"Don't worry Master," Stockman reassured. "Just let my Foot-Tech Ninjas out there, and they'll deliver the goods. I guarantee it."

Shredder just glared in response.

"I' can put word out to send a little message for the turtles." Hun informed. "It will be sure to draw them out.

"Rest assured Master," Nakumo chimed in. "Within the week we will find Chung Li and his turtles, and drop them at your feet."

"You better." Shredder told them. "For all your sakes."

…

"Uh, Sensei I don't think this is right." Mikey voiced.

The turtles were in the dojo weapons drawn surrounding Splinter. The catch though, they all had their masks turned so none of them could see.

"Oh I assure you Michelangelo, everything is in order." Splinter told them. "For today's lesson, I will teach you how to listen to the silence."

"Uh Sensei," Donnie spoke up. "Isn't that an oxymoron?"

"Didn't Raph call me that last week?" Mikey asked.

"It seems appropriate." Raph replied smugly.

"That's not what that means." Donnie responded annoyed.

"As ninja, your senses must be fine-tuned to sense your enemy's attacks." Splinter taught. "You cannot always rely on what you see."

"Especially when all you see is black." Mikey joked.

"Indeed." Splinter agreed. "Now… defend yourself!"

Splinter then bolted towards Leo, who staggered out of the way of Splinter's attack. He tried swinging his sword at him, but Splinter just side-stepped out of the way and tripped him up with his tail causing him to fall to the ground.

Donnie came running towards Splinter spinning his staff trying to swing it at him. With every swing however Splinter moved out of the way. He then made his way behind Donnie who was still looking in every other direction for him. Splinter swept his legs sending him to the ground.

"You were not listening hard enough." Splinter informed.

Splinter then leapt towards Raph, who rolled out of the way. Raph then thrashed his sai around in every conceivable direction trying to make contact, it was to no avail. Splinter simply struck Raph in the gut with his stick and knocked him over the head.

"You require better control Raphael." Splinter observed.

Mikey just stood stationary, spinning his nunchaku when he was struck with an idea. He activated the kusarigama function on his weapon and swung it around the room, trying to hit Splinter. He only succeeded in hitting his brothers as Splinter leapt over it.

"Ow!" Raph cried.

"Come on!" Donnie let out.

"What the shell Mikey?" Leo asked rubbing his head.

"Did I get him?" Mikey asked adjusting his mask.

Splinter made his way behind Mikey and hit him on the head with his stick.

"Ow." Mikey let out. "Don't I at least get points for creativity?"

"A creative mind must be balanced with a disciplined body." Splinter told him as the other turtles readjusted their masks. "You must learn stillness, and alertness, for they are our only defense against the unexpected.

Just then a buzzing sound came out of nowhere. Donnie took out his shell cell and saw something on the screen.

"Of course, proximity sensors in the garage upstairs don't hurt either." Donnie joked. "Someone's inside."

"Who?" Leo asked. "The Kraang?"

"The Foot?" Raph asked.

"The Purple Dragons?" Mikey asked.

Donnie looked at the screen to see a familiar face enter the garage.

"Not far off on that last one Mikey." Donnie said. "It's Angel."

"Huh." Raph let out. "Wonder what she's doin here."

…

In the garage above the lair, Angel was looking around for her turtle friends, but all she found was a few tables and some kind of van under a sheet.

"Hello?" she called out. "Guys?"

There was no response.

"Am I even in the right place?" she wondered out loud. "They said to come to the warehouse on Eastman and Lairds if something came up, but…"

She turned around to leave when she saw Mikey standing right in front of her.

"Hi." He greeted.

She screamed in response. This prompted Mikey to scream as well.

"Don't scare me like that Angel." Mikey told her as his brothers joined him. "I almost jumped out of my shell."

"Well you shouldn't have snuck up on me like that." Angel countered.

"We're ninjas Angel." Leo reminded. "Sneaking up on people is kinda in our job description."

"Fair enough." Angel admitted.

"So what brings ya bye?" Raph asked. "What are the dragons up to now?"

"Hun gave us some pretty crazy orders today." Angel informed. "Marking up graffiti all over town."

The turtles looked at each other in confusion.

"Okay..." Mikey replied.

"No offense Angel," Leo chimed in. "But graffiti doesn't seem like that big a deal."

"That's what I thought," Angel agreed. "Until I saw what kind of graffiti it was."

Angel pulled out her phone and showed the turtles a picture of the tag. It was of four turtles impaled on a sword in blood red. Needless to say this caught the turtles off guard.

"So the way I see it, either Hun's changing our name to the red dead turtles," Angel began.

"Or someone's trying to send us a message." Raph finished.

"Are all the tags like this?" Donnie asked.

"Some are a little more graphic than others." Angel answered.

"Well if someone wants our attention," Raph spoke up taking out his sai. "They got it."

"Hold it, Quick Draw." Leo spoke putting his hand on Raph's shoulder. "If someone's calling us out, it's most likely bait for a trap."

"Leo's right." Donnie agreed. "This sounds too much like a setup to me."

"I just thought I'd let you know." Angel told them.

"Thanks Angel." Leo said graciously. "Now if you don't mind we kinda need you to leave. Can't show off the entrance to the lair."

"What you don't trust me?" Angel asked.

"You're gonna have to put in a few more hours before you get secret lair privileges." Mikey told her.

"Yeah, so beat it." Raph said shoving her outside.

Once they were outside he leaned in close to her.

"You wouldn't happen to know where these 'taggers' are gonna be next would you?" Raph whispered.

"So you are interested." She surmised.

"Only so I can take them out before they start stepping up their game, if you know what I mean."

Angel nodded in response.

…

Raph raced across the rooftops, flipping and jumping along the way. Finally he reached the spot Angel told him about. There he saw Angel as well as a few other Purple Dragons spray painting a purple dragon eating four turtles.

Just then a throwing star connected with the spray can, unleashing paint in the purple dragon's eyes. He dropped the can and yelled in pain as Raph dropped to the ground.

"Evenin' gents." Raph greeted gaining the others attention. "Just consider me the New York cleanup crew. Doin' my part to stamp out taggers.

One purple dragon pulled out a chain and ran towards Raph with it. He swung it at Raph, but Raph caught it in his hand and pulled the dragon close to him, delivering a kick to the gut knocking him out. Another dragon came up to him with a bat, but Raph was quick enough to dodge the attacks.

"You know, you're only making this harder on yourself." Raph told him.

He then punched out the dragon.

While that was going on, another dragon hid behind a dumpster and pulled out a phone. He pressed a button it, immediately dialing a certain number.

"We got one." He told the one on the other side.

Just then Raph appeared and picked him up, throwing him against the wall. Angel came up surveying his handiwork.

"Not bad." Angel commented.

"Not done yet." Raph informed. "One of these boys called in back-up."

Raph looked up to see two Foot-Tech Ninjas standing on a rooftop watching what was happening.

"And looks like it's here." Raph noted.

"We can't let them see us together." Angel reminded.

"Then pretend this hurt." Raph told her.

Angel raised an eyebrow at this before Raph kicked her into a wall. Raph turned back to his new opponents landing in the alleyway.

"You guys don't look human." Raph commented drawing his sai. "Fortunately, neither am I."

Raph then charged toward the two Foot-Tech Ninjas. Before he reached them however, they activated their cloaking devices and turned invisible. Raph stopped mid-charge and looked around for his missing adversaries. Just then, some unseen force knocked him into the air and onto the ground near one of the discarded cans of spray paint. He slowly got up rubbing his head in pain.

"Woah." Raph exclaimed. "They must have some kind of… whatcha call it… cloaking device."

Just then, he felt something wrap around his throat. Before it picked him up off the ground, Raph grabbed the nearby spray can and sprayed it in the Foot-Tech Ninjas face, revealing it.

"Got ya." Raph joked delivering a punch to the face.

He then drew his sai and struck him with the blunt end of it knocking the eyepiece off. The Foot-Tech Ninja then kicked him so hard he flew through the air. As he came down, the second Foot-Tech Ninja kicked him back to the first. The two then preceded kicking Raph back and forth for a while.

"I'm! Really! Starting! To hate! Ping Pong!"

Finally, the cloaked Foot-Tech Ninja kicked Raph into scaffolding causing it to collapse right on top of him. The Foot Tech ninjas then pulled him out of the wreckage and dragged him away just as Angel woke up. Once they were gone, Angel got up and saw the eyepiece on the ground. She picked it up and ran off to find the turtles.

…

A familiar sensation of pain coursed through Raph's body as he regained consciousness. He looked around to see he was strapped to an operating table in some strange room. The only light was some overhead light shining down on him.

"Where am I?" he asked.

Just then a probe came down poking at him.

"Hey watch where you're poking that!" he demanded. "When I get out of here I'm gonna-"

"Hello freak." A familiar voice greeted.

Raph turned to see Hun stepping into the light carrying his sai.

"Hun." Raph greeted back. "I thought something smelled rank."

"Nice to see you too." Hun replied while admiring Raph's sai. "You know, I've always admired the craftsmanship of your little weapons here.. How about telling me who gave em to you?"

"Your mama." Raph taunted.

Upon hearing that, Hun threw the sai on the table near Raph's head.

"Let's try this again." Hun said before picking up Raph's shell cell and crushing it. "I tend to get a little…clumsy when people don't answer my questions."

While he was talking, Raph noticed the Foot Clan tattoo on his arm.

"Nice tat." Raph remarked. "Purple Dragons know you're too-timing them or is a consensual relationship?"

Hun then smacked the table causing it to rock back and forth. Hun then finally caught it and grabbed the light bring it close to his face.

"Let's talk about you." Hun said. "Starting with your master."

…

Back in the lair, the turtles were still working on their blindfolded training.

"Remember my sons," Splinter instructed. "Stillness and alertness are the greatest weapons in a ninja's arsenal. They will aid you in detecting an enemy's attacks, as well as where to make your own."

Leo nodded and breathed, waiting for Splinter to make his move. He thought he heard something behind him, so he spun around and pointed his sword in the direction it came from. The sound that followed was not the one he expected at all. A high pitched, even feminine scream.

"Friendly." The voice called out.

Leo readjusted his mask to see Angel standing in front of him.

"Angel?!" he exclaimed as the others adjusted their masks as well.

"How did you get in here?" Donnie asked.

"I found the secret elevator you have in the tool cabinet." She answered.

This surprised the turtles and Splinter.

"What?" she asked. "I'm in the Purple Dragons. Searching rooms for valuable stuff is kinda part of the job."

"Right." Donnie dismissed, noticing someone certain was missing. "Where's Raph?"

"That's why I'm here." Angel informed. "Some kind of... invisible ninjas took him."

The others looked at each other in disbelief.

"Invisible ninja's huh?" Mikey asked. "This little story wouldn't involve Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny by any chance would it?"

"Very funny." Angel remarked. "But I happen to have proof."

She then proceeded to toss the eyepiece to Donnie. He took it into his lab and looked at in under a magnifying glass.

"Looks like some kind of optical device." Donnie observed. "Heavy duty hardware."

Leo tried calling Raph on his shell cell, but there didn't seem to answer.

"Raph's not answering." Leo reported.

"This is all my fault." Angel lamented. "If I hadn't tried to get you involved…"

"Chillax dudette." Mikey comforted. "It's not your fault."

"Mikey's right. We're gonna find him." Leo reassured before turning to Donnie. "Uh Don, how are we gonna find him?"

"This optic device seems to be sending out some kind of… comm signal" Donnie surmised. "And if there's a signal, I might be able to track it."

…

Hun was still trying to get the information he needed out of Raph, but the turtle's resilience was really starting to get annoying.

"We've been over this again and again freak." Hun complained. "I'm only gonna ask you this one more time. Where is your master? Where has he been hiding all these years? What is your knowledge of our operations?"

"Remind me again," Raph spoke up. "What would 'I' benefit from disclosing this information?"

Hun just hit the table in frustration, causing it to rock back and forth.

"Answer me, dammit!" he demanded.

"You know come to think of it, who do you work for?" Raph asked regaining his senses and trying to free his hand. "I mean you look way too dumb to be in charge of all this."

In response, Hun grabbed a buzz saw and brought it up to Raph's face.

"Your choice freak." He informed Raph. "You can talk, or we can let your DNA do the talking. Now is there something you want to tell me?"

By this point, Raph was finally able to get his hand free.

"Just this!" he yelled before delivering a punch to Hun's face and grabbing an oxygen mask. "Sleep!"

He brought the mask to Hun's face, who was forced breathed a lot in. it wasn't enough to fully knock him out, but it did take a lot out of him. Raph then took the buzz saw and cut at his restraints, freeing himself. Once free, he retrieved his sai and the destroyed shell cell.

"Donnie will kill me if I leave this." He said aloud.

Once his items were reclaimed, he made a beeline for the exit. Once he got outside however, he found that he was on a ship in the middle of the river. Once he turned to see the city, a seemingly obvious idea came into his head.

"Good thing turtles like water." He remarked before diving into the water.

Back in the lab, Stockman and Nakumo entered the room as Hun regained his composure.

"You fool!" Stockman chastised. "I was this close to obtaining a DNA sample, and you let him escape!"

"Calm yourself Stockman." Nakumo interrupted walking past him. "All is going according to plan."

"What?!" Stockman exclaimed. "You mean you wanted him to escape?"

"Why settle for one turtle when we can have all four?" Nakumo asked turning back to him. "Even as we speak, a squad of Foot-Tech Ninjas are trailing the creature back to his kind. Soon we will have them all in our grasp."

"Assuming your 'boys' don't blow it." Hun chimed in.

…

Donnie kept fiddling with his scanner, trying to get a lock on the 'invisible ninjas' that took Raphael. Finally a blip appeared on screen.

"Aha!" Donnie exclaimed.

"You got something?" Leo asked.

"Yeah." Donnie answered before several other blips appeared on screen. "Actually… a lot of somethings."

"More of those 'invisible ninjas'?" Leo guessed.

"Yeah." Donnie confirmed. "And it looks like they're underground!"

"Raphael may not know he is being followed." Splinter surmised.

"Then we need to find Raph before he brings in some seriously unwanted house guests!" Leo declared.

"Go!" Splinter ordered. "Find your brother!"

"I better get going before someone gets suspicious." Angel told them.

"Go ahead." Leo told her. "We got this."

Angel nodded and proceeded to the elevator she entered from.

"So… how do we stop something we can't see?" Mikey asked.

"Glad you asked." Donnie told him as he grabbed three pairs of goggles. "I've modified these night vision goggles with infrared sensors. After all, an invisible body is still a warm one."

Leo and Mikey each took a pair of goggles as they and Donnie put them on.

"Let's roll." Leo declared.

…

Raph kept running through the sewers aiming to make his way home. He found himself facing a massive drain pipe flushing tons of water down like a whirlpool. He was about to press on when he heard a puddle splash. He turned around in an instant trying to get a look at his follower.

"Who's there?!" he demanded.

He was only answered by a strike to the face. He retaliated with a punch but hit nothing. He was hit again and he tried hitting again.

"Show yourself you lousy-!" he yelled, still being struck by the invisible ninjas.

He was starting to get irritated, and then he remembered something Splinter told him.

"Listen to the silence."

With that, Raph turned his mask so he couldn't see and waited. There was nothing at first, than he heard a puddle splash next to him. He kicked in that direction and made contact. Raph smirked as he heard a whoosh behind him; he spun around and punched another invisible ninja in the face.

At that moment, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey came up to where the scanner was directing.

"Raph!" Mikey yelled.

They were shocked to see the warm bodies of the ninjas fighting Raph and Raph was fighting them off.

"I don't know what's weirder," Mikey voiced. "That Raph is actually fighting invisible ninjas, or that Raph is blindfolded, fighting invisible ninjas?"

"Neither. It's the fact that he's winning." Donnie answered.

"Should we help him out?" Leo asked.

They paused for a moment before nodding and leaping into action. They all landed around Raph and swatted away a few Foot-Tech Ninja with their weapons.

"Hey guys." Raph greeted. "What's new?"

"Ever heard the one about the invisible ninjas?" Donnie asked jokingly.

"Yeah it sounds familiar." Raph retorted.

Raph was then got an uppercut from one Foot-Tech Ninja that sent him soaring and crashing into the ground.

"They're also really strong." Raph informed, slightly sore. "Just a heads up."

"Good to know." Leo replied before getting back in the fight.

As Raph got to his feet, he heard something approaching on either side. He then leapt into the air and did a split kick on the two.

"Now you see them," Mikey started as he began beating them with his nunchuks until none were left standing. "Now you don't"

Donnie blocked a sword strike with his staff as he and Leo came back to back.

"Their cloaking controls seem to be somewhere on the chest plate." Donnie observed.

"I'm on it." Leo replied.

Leo then leapt into the air and sliced the cloaking controls with his swords, turning the ninjas visible. Once they could be seen, Donnie came at them and struck them with his staff, taking them out.

"Can I call em or what?" Donnie asked smugly.

"Not bad, Don." Raph admitted turning his mask back around.

While the turtles were talking, one last cloaked Foot-Tech Ninja snuck on them with his sword drawn. Sensing this, Mikey turned around and extended his chair, wrapping it around him. He then swung the Foot-Tech Ninja around and threw him down the drainage pipe.

"Nice moves Mikey." Leo complimented. "Splinter would approve."

"Thanks bro." Mikey replied.

Once their foes were dealt with, the turtles returned home, alone.

…

"And then I wrapped my chain around him and threw him down the drain pipe." Mikey concluded telling Splinter in the dojo.

"Well done, Michelangelo." Splinter complimented. "You all performed admirably."

"Thank you Master." Leo said.

"What I don't get is why Hun was asking about our master and our training." Raph questioned. "When I saw those Foot guys were coming after us, I figured it was payback for us turning them down last time."

"I'm afraid it goes much deeper than that." Splinter lamented.

"What do you mean Sensei?" Leo asked.

"Shredder known I am alive." Splinter informed. "And it seems he knows about my connection to the four of you."

"So… this isn't a one-time thing." Leo guessed.

"No…" Splinter answered. "It is just beginning."

…

Back at the Foot skyrise, Shredder stood before Hun, Nakumo, Stockman, and the beaten Foot-Tech Ninjas.

"Yet another operation marred by the stench of defeat!" Shredder criticized pacing back and forth. "And you all know my vastly limited tolerance for failure."

"It was his fault!" Stockman blamed pointing at Nakumo. "I had one of the turtles in my grasp before 'he' allowed him to escape."

"Arrogant fool!" Nakumo yelled back. "My plan was sound! It was your creations that failed to, as you put it, deliver the goods."

"You should have let me dissect him when we had the chance!" Stockman yelled.

"Then we'd never find Chung Li!" Nakumo yelled back.

"Silence!" Shredder yelled silencing the two.

Shredder than stopped pacing and walked towards the three of them.

"So disappointing. All of you." Shredder criticized.

"If I may Master," Stockman spoke up. "While today's operation failed to yield the desired results, my next projects will do away with these wrenched reptiles for good."

"You're certain of that?" Shredder asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I promise." Stockman told him holding out his hand.

Nakumo and Hun looked skeptical at Stockman's words as Shredder just stood there.

"Very well." Shredder finally answered.

Nakumo and Hun were both shocked as Shredder took Stockman's hand and shook it.

"Excellent." Stockman said graciously.

"But if you break that promise…"

Shredder then raised his other arm and, extending his claw, brought it down on Stockman's hand, severing it. Stockman clenched the stump of his arm and dropped to his knees, howling in pain. Hun was somewhat surprised by this, but Nakumo was relatively unphased. He knew Shredder was capable of this sort of thing; it just caught him off guard.

"…I will do far worse." Shredder finished, discarding the severed hand and turning to the Foot-Tech Ninjas. "Clean him up."

The Foot-Tech Ninjas bowed and took Stockman away to clean up his wounds, leaving only Nakumo and Hun still reeling from what they saw.

"I knew you were ruthless," Hun admitted. "But this…"

"Let it serve as a warning." Shredder spoke turning to face him. "To you, and all those who dare fail me."


	9. New Girl In Town

_My name is Leonardo._  
 _Ever heard the phrase, 'anything that seems too good to be true usually is'? Well I'm living proof of that saying right now. I thought I had found an ally, another human that could be trusted with the secret of my family's existence._

 _But, as Master Splinter always says, not everything is as it seems. Raph warned me something like this might happen, and he's sure not gonna let me live it down anytime soon. That is, if I live through this at all._

 _..._

In the Foot's sky rise headquarters, Shredder sat in his throne looking over Nakumo and Hun kneeling before him. In his hand was a surveillance picture of the turtles he was determined to destroy.

"There must be a fascinating story on how my old friend not only survived our last encounter, but also came to teach Ninjutsu to four mutant turtles." Shredder mused. "What is only more fascinating is how these creatures managed to elude you!"

"They got a lucky shot last time, that's all." Hun defended.

"Give us another chance Master." Nakumo requested. "Next time there will be no-"

"Silence!" Shredder cut off. "You had your chance to dispose of the turtles, and you failed miserably. I am putting this operation into more capable hands."

"Who?" Nakumo asked.

"Who do you think?" A young woman's voice snapped.

Nakumo and Hun turned to see a young woman, no doubt a teenager, wearing similar armor to the shredder, except without the sharp parts. She had short black hair, save for two long sections on either side of her face. She wore red eyeliner, and stood with an air of confidence that only a spunky teenager could have.

"Karai." Hun grumbled.

"Hun." Karai replied. "What happened to you? Did you lose a fight with a brick wall again?"

"Why you little-!"

"Hun!" Shredder yelled, silencing him again. "You and Nakumo will treat Karai with the utmost respect. She will be charged with bringing me the turtles."

"And I can already guarantee I'll do a better job than you have." Karai quipped.

"And why is that?" Nakumo asked.

"Simple." Karai replied. "They may be turtles, but their also teenage boys."

...

On the rooftops of the city, the turtles were racing across the rooftops.

"Wahoo!" Mikey yelled as they finished leaping to one rooftop. "We rock! Goodnight New York!"

After Mikey finished, several apartment windows lit up and called out that 'whoever is making all that racket should quiet down'.

"Man, do we rock or what?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah you just rocked half of New York out of bed." Raph retorted.

"Fun fact Mikey, when ninjas are out on patrol, they are supposed to be 'silent'." Leo informed.

"Sorry Leo." Mikey apologized. "Next time I'll celebrate quieter."

"Sounds good." Leo said. "Come on guys let's head back."

Before they could get far they heard what sounded like a scream coming from an alley. The followed it and saw a young woman being accosted by three rather large purple dragons.

"Three on one," Mikey observed. "That hardly seems fair."

"Yeah," Raph concurred. "What do you say we even the odds a bit?"

"I agree." Leo replied.

With that, the four turtles made their way down to the alley.

Down below, the woman kept backing away as the purple dragons came in closer.

"It's simple girl," one purple dragon told her. "Hand over the purse, and no pain will come to you."

"Come and get it you Neanderthal!" The girl snapped

This angered the Purple Dragons. They would have made a move were they not interrupted.

"Hey boys!" a voice called out. "I don't think your parents would be very happy about you hitting girls?"

The Purple Dragons turned to see the turtles on a fire-escape above them, seemingly ready to strike.

"Though I bet they never said anything about turtles." Mikey joked.

"It's the freaks!" one purple dragon shouted.

"Get em!" another one ordered.

The turtles then leapt down to the ground and engaged the Purple Dragons. Donnie kneed one dragon in the stomach as he ran up, and then kicked him in the head, causing him to fall in the trash.

Raph blocked one dragon's punch and delivered one of his own. Once the Purple Dragon regained his composure, he charged at Raph again. Just then Mikey landed in front of Raph and smacked the purple dragon with his nunchaku, causing the Purple Dragon to spin around and fall to the ground.

"Could've taken him." Raph griped.

"Yeesh, that's the thanks I get for saving your shell?" Mikey asked.

Leo meanwhile was just backing away from each strike the Purple Dragon dealt him. Finally, Leo threw a punch in the purple dragons face knocking him out.

"Whoa." the girl let out.

Leo turned to see her standing there awestruck by what transpired.

"That was amazing." She said. "Thank you so much!"

"Uh…" Leo tried to respond. "No problem."

"I think it best we vamoose." Donnie suggested.

"Agreed." Raph concurred.

Donnie, Mikey, and Raph made their way to the fire-escape and climbed up to the roof. Leo was just about to join them when the girl stopped him.

"Wait." She insisted. "You're just gonna leave?"

"Well...yeah," Leo answered nervously. "I mean jobs done. You're safe, their down, we fade into the night. It's kinda our thing."

"Can I at least get your name?" She asked.

"Uh...Leo." he answered. "Leonardo."

"Nice to meet you Leonardo. I'm Karai."

Leo was certainly shocked by this, but decided to make the best of it.

"Nice to meet you Karai." Leo replied.

With that he leapt onto the fire-escape and proceeded to join his brothers. Karai just stood there with a grin on her face.

...

Back at the lair, Leo was sitting in front of the TV watching another episode of Space-Heroes. In this episode, Captain Ryan was kissing some blue woman named Celestial.

 _"We shouldn't be doing this Ryan."_ Celestial objected pulling away. _"It's against fleet protocol."_

 _"Well Celestial, you don't get to be captain of the Dauntless without breaking a few rules."_ Ryan responded smugly.

 _"Perfect."_ Celestial voiced before pulling out a blaster. _"Then you won't mind giving me the control codes."_

 _"Celestial you're breaking my heart."_ Ryan admitted.

He then pulled out his own blaster and shot at her, disintegrating her and leaving nothing but the boots she was wearing.

 _"But my disintegrator works just fine."_ He chimed before looking at the boots and feeling melancholy. _"Oh Celestial…"_

"Boy, relationships are complicated." Leo commented.

"Girl trouble my son?" Splinter asked entering the room.

Leo went wide eyed and stood up in surprise.

"What?" Leo asked nervously turning around. "No of course not Sensei. What would make you think-"

"Raphael told me about the girl that you saved, and how grateful she was for your assistance."

Leo just stood there awestruck.

"Yeah… that."

"While I applaud your work out there today," He told him. "I advise you to be more cautious when dealing with this sort of thing."

"Hai Sensei." Leo responded.

Leo stood quiet for a moment. Splinter stroked his goatee in response.

"You were not thinking of seeing this girl again were you?" Splinter asked.

"Well…" Leo responded hesitantly. "There was just… something about her. Something different."

"Leonardo, I have warned you about humans before." Splinter reminded.

"I know," Leo acknowledged. "But we've been pretty lucky so far with April and Angel."

"And that is all it has been." Splinter challenged. "Besides, you have been wrong about others intentions."

"That was different." Leo defended. "I was angry then."

Splinter pondered this for a moment.

"I am not saying do not pursue this." Splinter told him, causing him to look surprised. "I am only saying be smart about it. You must use your instincts, but be careful you do not fall into the trap of believing something is true simply because you wish it to be so."

"So what are you saying?" Leo asked as Splinter left the room. "That I should trust my instincts, unless my instincts are wrong?"

"Precisely." Splinter confirmed.

Leo was just left alone with Splinter's words not sure what to think of it all.

...

Leo raced across the rooftops, the memory of the girl and Splinter's words racing through his mind.

"What am I gonna do?" Leo asked himself. "Should I see this girl again or just let this go? I mean, what are the chances of me running into her again?"

As Leo jumped onto another rooftop, he saw the last thing he expected to see walking the streets, Karai.

"Are you kidding me?" Leo asked out loud. "What are the odds?"

Leo paused for a moment as Karai continued walking.

"So you found her, now what?" He asked himself. "Should I just go over and talk to her? Master Splinter said to be smart about this."

Leo looked back up at Karai as she rounded a corner.

"Well," Leo finally decided. "No guts, no glory."

...

Karai continued walking down the street as Leo landed on a fire-escape in an alley not far from her. He finally mustered up the courage to speak to her.

"Uh… hey." he spoke up.

Karai stopped, seeming to hear this, and turned around to see Leo standing there.

"It's you!" she nearly shouted back.

Leo put his hands up in protest, as if he was trying to quiet her down. Karai finally realized what he meant.

"Sorry." she said in a lowered voice.

"It's cool." Leo replied. "I guess you're not use to meeting guys who spend their lives hiding in secret."

Karai chuckles at his remark.

"That's for sure." She answered. "So what brings you by?"

"Well I was hopping around town when I ran into you." He told her leaping down from the fire-escape. "And I thought I'd… well, come down and…. Honestly I didn't know what I was gonna do."

"Well I'm glad you decided to come down anyway." Karai admitted. "I wasn't sure I'd see you again after last night."

"Nice to feel wanted." Leo joked.

They both chuckled at that before the scene fell silent.

"Uh… think we can continue this conversation somewhere else?" Karai asked. "No offense but you're giving off a kinda creepy vibe just standing in the alley."

"Well it's kinda hard for me to walk down the street." Leo replied. Before an idea popped into his mind. "But I might have an alternative."

...

Within a few minutes, Leo made his way to the roof with Karai not far behind. Once Karai was close enough, Leo held out his hand for Karai to take hold of. He then pulled her up onto the roof.

"Well here we are." Leo announced gesturing to the city skyline.

Karai was awestruck by the beauty that stood before her.

"Amazing." she marveled.

"Yeah." Leo agreed. "I've been out here dozens of times, but it still blows me away."

"So… last night was something you deal with on a regular basis?" Karai asked.

"Pretty much." Leo answered. "Though we've only been on the surface for a month or two."

"Surface?" Karai questioned. "What you guys live in a sewer or something?"

Leo was caught off guard by how accurate her guess.

"I… uh…" Leo stuttered.

"Oh…" Karai realized. "I guess that was supposed to be a secret."

"Yeah…" Leo let out.

"Sorry."

"... It's ok. You didn't know."

"So…" Karai spoke trying to break the tension. "How about those other turtles you were with?"

"My brothers."

"Brothers?" Karai repeated. "That must be nice."

"It can be," Leo replied. "Though at other times it can also drive me nuts."

Karai chuckled.

"I sense some crazy stories." she remarked. "Spill."

"Well," Leo began. "First there's Donnie. He's brilliant, but he has a need to over explain even the smallest of things. Then there's Mikey. Great guy, but a major goofball. Sometimes I wonder if he's 'right in the head' if you know what I mean."

Karai laughed at this remark.

"What about the other guy?" Karai asked.

"Raph?" Leo clarified. "How would I describe him? Hot head. Maniac. Loose cannon. That's just to name a few."

"Real piece of work, isn't he?" Karai surmised.

"You have no idea." Leo replied. "How about you? Any siblings that drive you up the walls?"

"Nah. it's just me and my dad." Karai told him.

"Your dad? What's he like?" Leo asked.

"Kinda strict." Karai told him. "But he means well. Though I'll admit our sudden coming to New York was a bit much."

"Where are you from originally?"

"Tokyo." Karai answered. "Lived there most of my life, even though I was born here in New York."

"Really?" Leo said amazed. "Well, why are you back in town now?"

"Business, mainly." Karai replied. "My dad's the head of this big company, and a rival company is attempting to move in. So far, his subordinates have been unable to handle it, so he came to see to it himself. I'm kinda just along for the ride."

"Whoa. Must be pretty important." Leo guessed.

"Oh he is." Karai chuckled. "I have to make an appointment just to say hi to him on most days. He's so caught up in his work, I sometimes wonder if he has a life outside of his job."

"I'm sure he wants to spend time with you." Leo told her. "Some dads just get caught up in work."

Karai sighed.

"I know..." she admitted, "I'm sure yours probably does the same."

"Eh…. kinda." Leo answered. "His work kinda involves us. He's a… martial arts teacher."

Karai's eyes lit up.

"Really?" she asked. "So he taught you how to do all those ninja moves?"

"Yeah." he admitted. "Without him, we'd never survive out here."

Karai smiled.

"Sounds like he cares about you a lot. What about your mom? What's she like?"

"I don't have one."

Karai paused, her face falling a bit.

"I'm sorry." she told him. "I didn't know..."

"It's cool." he reassured. "Really."

"I don't have a mom either…. She was killed when I was a baby."

This caught Leo off guard.

"I… I'm sorry."

"My dad said an old friend of his betrayed him… A man he had considered his brother turned on him, killing my mom and nearly killing me. My dad managed to stop him for good, but…."

She seemed to fall deeper and deeper into a seed of hatred that had no doubt been growing for a very long time.

"I'm… sorry about that." Leo tried to comfort. "Do you want to talk about something else?"

Karai gave a small nod, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"Well… I did kinda want to ask you something."

"Yeah? What?"

Karai blushed slightly.

"Can you… show me a few moves?"

"Uh… Yeah sure."

After a while Leo demonstrated a few moves he knew to Karai. After a while, he even tried to teach her a move or two. Unfortunately, an attempt at a simple kick nearly sent her off the roof. He was able to grab her just in time, but he accidentally pulled her a bit too close to his chest. The two just stood there for a minute before Karai pulled away and the two stood there silent for a few minutes.

"Uh…" Leo spoke up. "So… would you like to hang out with me again some time?"

Karai smiled, though her face was about as red as Raph's mask.

"I'd like that… I'd like that a lot."

"Great. Do you know where Mr. Murakami's is?"

Karai looked confused.

"Murakami?" she repeated.

"It's this Japanese noodle shop downtown." Leo told him. "Think you can find it?"

Karai gave a nod.

"I'm sure I can." she assured him. "When do you want to meet up?"

"Say… 8:00 tomorrow night?" Leo suggested.

Karai grinned.

"I'll be there."

"Great. See ya then."

Leo then ran towards the edge of the roof and leapt towards the next one, and kept running until he was out of Karai's view. Once that happened, Karai pulled out her phone, hitting the speed dial for her father.

 _"Karai."_ Shredder answered. _"What have you to report?"_

"Ready your sword. I'm about to go on my first date. Tomorrow night, Murakami's shop."

 _"I instructed you to track down Chung Li and the turtles."_ Shredder chastised. _"Not fraternize with the enemy!"_

"Oh relax." She told him. "Look at it this way. This date will be the perfect time to gain their trust. Once that happens, they'll lead me straight to their hideout, and to Chung Li. Besides, if all else fails, we can just grab Leonardo and make him tell us everything he knows before he becomes turtle soup."

Shredder paused for a second.

 _"Very well."_ Shredder relented. _"This may prove beneficial to us after all. But I expect results."_

"Come on, Dad." Karai countered. "Unlike a certain yes-man, a pompous brainiac, and a Hulk movie reject, I've never failed you."

...

Back at the lair, Leo and Raph were sparring with each other.

"So where were you earlier?" Raph asked.

"Just out." Leo answered swinging his sword at Raph.

"By yourself," Raph began to ask blocking the sword with his sai. "Or with that girl?"

"So what if I was?" Leo asked back.

"Don't you think it's a little funny that she seemed totally unphased by giant, mutant, ninja weapon wielding turtles?" Raph challenged shoving the sword away and delivering several sai strikes.

"We've encountered people cool with us before Raph." Leo countered blocking the sai strikes.

"Yeah, but April passed out the first time she met us." Raph replied. "Her dad didn't have time to react since we were saving his life, and Angel was a Purple Dragon."

Leo then moved in and shoved Raph into a wall.

"What?" he asked. "You think Karai is a Purple Dragon or something?"

"Maybe." Raph answered. "My point is, I don't think talking with this girl is a good idea."

"I haven't told her everything about us Raph," Leo told him. "I'm not a complete idiot."

Raph then shoved Leo off and shoved him against the wall this time.

"Then what happens when you let one of our secrets slip." Raph suggested.

"Look I got this under control." Leo told him before striking him getting him off. "Master Splinter said to be smart about this and that's what I'm gonna do."

"Personally I think the smart thing to do is to leave this alone." Raph challenged.

"Just let me handle this ok." Leo practically begged.

"...Fine." Raph finally relented. "But when this goes south, and it will, don't say I didn't warn ya."

With that, Raph left the dojo leaving Leo alone. He decided to dismiss Raph's objections. It was just one date. What's the worst that could happen?

...

The next night, Karai stood outside the noodle shop waiting for Leo to arrive. As she looked down at her watch, Leo landed right behind her.

"Hi." he greeted, causing Karai to jump in surprise.

"Don't scare me like that!" She gasped, punching the turtle on the arm. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry." he apologized. "Shall we?

Karai gave a nod, and then walked over to some kind of weird vending machine next to the shop. Leo raised an eyebrow at this.

"Don't remember that being there." Leo admitted.

"They have these back in Tokyo." Karai explained taking out a quarter. "You use these to order."

Karai then placed the quarter in the machine and pressed a button. A wooden token then came out the slot and Karai picked it up. Leo smiled at this and walked over to the machine, only to realize he lacked change.

"Oooooh." Leo let out.

"Everything ok?" Karai asked.

"I… don't really have change." Leo admitted.

Karai just rolled her eyes and handed Leo another quarter. He took it and placed it into the machine. He pressed the button he wanted and took the token as it came out. Then they walked into the shop. The smell made Karai's mouth water.

"Did I just walk through a portal back to Tokyo?"

"This place is pretty cool." Leo admitted.

"Leonardo?" Murakami asked. "Is that you?"

"It's me Mr. Murakami." Leo answered. "And I brought a friend."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yep." Karai answered. "My name's Karai."

"Nice to meet you." Murakami greeted.

Karai slid the wooden coin along the counter towards Mr. Murakami.

"I'm curious about your teriyaki chicken." she told him. "And from the heavenly smell, I'm sure it'll be good."

Murakami rubbed the token with his hand and smiled at this, nodding in response. Leo then slid his token forward. Murakami took it and rubbed it.

"Ah Pizza Gyoza." Murakami declared.

"Pizza Gyoza?" Karai asked. "Don't think I've never heard of that before."

"That's because Mr. Murakami invented it." Leo explained.

Karai raised an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe I'll need to steal a bite." she decided.

"You're welcome to try." He challenged.

"Ah, young love." Murakami mused.

Leo and Karai just rolled their eyes at this remark as they waited for their meals to be completed.

"So it seems the noodle guy knows you." Karai observed. "Anyone else in on this little secret? Or am I the only human in your little group?"

"There are probably one or two more."

"So where do I get my membership to the TMNT knowledge club?"

"Well it sort of happened by accident." Leo explained. "One of them we actually saved from an army of killer robots."

"Killer robots." Karai repeated. "Do you live in a cartoon or something?"

"It sure seems that way sometimes." Leo admitted.

"And what about the other? What'd you save them from? Godzilla?"

"No, that one… Well she just shared our views on gang activity in this city." Leo told her, thinking it wise not to give away all their secrets at once.

"She?" Karai asked. "So I have some competition."

"Nothing you have to worry about." Leo replied with a wink.

Finally Murakami came up with the food. Karai took a deep breath and grinned.

"Oh man, that smells great Murakami-san."

"Many thanks." Murakami replied. "I hope you enjoy it."

Karai dug into her chicken reveling in the taste. Then, she looked over at Leo, eying his Gyoza.

"So that's Pizza Gyoza."

"That it is." Leo answered.

Karai playfully snapped her chopsticks towards one of the pieces, and then snagged it, taking a bite. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh man… this is good!"

She finished off the piece of Gyoza, then she attempted to steal another piece, but Leo blocked her chopsticks with his own.

"Nice try." Leo taunted.

Karai smirked, and then attempted to slip around him. He was quick to block her again.

"You don't give up do you?" he asked.

"Never."

Her hand swiped around, grabbing a second one while Leo was preoccupied with her chopsticks.

"Besides, one thing I've learned is to keep your enemy so distracted that he doesn't see what's going on right under his nose."

She took a bite of the piece of Gyoza triumphantly. Leo just shook his head smiling.

"So, tell me more about your family. You never really went into detail about your dad."

"He's a really stand up guy." Leo told her. "Honorable, wise, and so kind. Though he did advise us to lead a… sheltered life to say the least. He only did it to protect us."

"I guess with the enemies Chung Li has made, it stands to reason that he'd keep his family hidden."

Leo just nodded as she spoke, until he suddenly realized something she said. Something she knew, something she couldn't have known.

"Yeah…" he replied coyly, "Funny, I don't remember ever telling you his name."

Karai froze for a moment, internally cursing herself. She attempted to recover.

"Yeah you did…. The other night…. Remember?"

"Did I?" Leo asked. "I'm pretty sure I would've remembered."

"I'm pretty sure you did." Karai attempted. "I mean, how else would I know that name?"

"I've been wondering that myself." Leo told her. "Most people believe that man is dead… though there is one who may have discovered his existence."

Karai sighed.

"Well, there goes plan A."

She jumped out of her seat, grabbing a dagger from her boot. She tried swinging it at him, but he was quick to dodge every swipe dealt to him until he backed into a wall. Karai drew back her dagger ready to stab. Just then, the bowl of teriyaki chicken was thrown in her face. Leo used this distraction to make a break for the door. However, as he tried to open it, he found it had been locked, no doubt by Karai for this exact reason.

"Shell." he cursed.

He then turned around to see Karai standing in front of him.

"So what happens now?" Leo asked.

"This." Karai answered.

She then took out a hand full of powder from her pocket, tossing it in the turtle's face. The blue turtle coughed and choked on it, falling to his knees.

"Nighty night." Karai taunted, giving him a small wave.

He barely managed to glare at her before finally passing out.

...

Back at the lair, Mikey was reading a comic book while Raph was wailing on a punching bag.

"Hey Raph, do you know where Leo is?" Mikey asked.

"Out on a date with that girl we rescued a few nights ago." Raph answered.

"Really?" Mikey asked. "Moving kinda fast don't ya think? I mean we only just met her."

"Yeah, 'that's' the issue with this." Raph replied sarcastically.

"What else would it be?" Mikey asked again.

"That she could be a spy or something." Raph responded.

"Oooooh." Mikey let out. "Want to spy on their date?"

Raph stopped punching for a minute to consider Mikey's idea.

"Eh ,why not?" Raph answered.

...

Up in the garage, Donnie was tinkering with the armored van they stole from the Kraang a while back. Suddenly, he was pulled out from under it by Raph and Mikey, much to his surprise.

"Hey Donnie." Mikey greeted.

"What do you two want?" Donnie asked. "Can't you see I'm working here?"

"We're gonna spy on Leo's date." Raph informed. "Wanna come?"

"Wait," Donnie spoke up. "Leo has a date?"

"Yup." Mikey confirmed.

"...I'm in."

...

Slowly, Leo regained consciousness. There a few things Leo took note of when he came to. One, he was in some kind of warehouse. Two, he was tied to a chair. How original. Three, Karai was nowhere to be seen.

"Karai!" Leo called out. "Show yourself!"

From the shadows, Karai emerged. However, she wasn't wearing the clothes she had during their date. Instead, she seemed to be wearing some sort of armor. It was similar to a samurai's armor on top of a kunoichi's robe. She even had a mask over her face and a sword on her belt.

"Look who's finally awake."

"Nice outfit." Leo commented.

"Thank you." she told him. "My dad had it made for me. Suits me, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah." Leo said. "You fit right in with the rest of the Foot."

Karai laughed.

"Fit right in? Oh Leo, you have no idea what you're dealing with."

"I think I have a pretty good idea." Leo answered back. "You work for the Foot. You were trying to get intel on me for the Shredder."

"Okay, you've got some idea." Karai admitted. "However, I'm not done extracting the information I need from you. In fact, I've only just begun."

"I'm not telling you anything!" Leo declared.

Karai chuckled.

"You will." she told him, drawing that same dagger from before. "You will."

...

Back at Murakami's, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey arrived at the shop to see Murakami lying on the floor. Mikey was the first to rush inside.

"Mr. Murakami!" Mikey yelled helping him up.

"What happened here?" Donnie asked.

"The girl Leonardo was with." Murakami answered. "She attacked him. I tried to stop her but…"

"It's ok Mr. Murakami." Mikey reassured. "You did the best you could."

"I knew that girl was trouble." Raph declared. "And now Leo's missing."

"Don't worry Raph. We'll find him." Donnie told him.

"How?" Mikey asked. "They're long gone."

"Well, after what happened with Raph and the Foot-Tech Ninjas, I installed microscopic tracking chips into all our shell cells." Donnie explained pulling out his shell cell. "For just such an occasion."

Donnie pushed a few buttons and a blip appeared on the screen.

"Looks like he's not too far." Donnie observed.

"Let's move." Raph told them.

...

"Let's try this one more time." Karai told Leo, leaning over him with her dagger. "Where is Chung Li?"

"... I'll never tell." he declared.

Karai just chuckled at his response.

"You are getting on my nerves." She told him. "If you give what I want, maybe I'll spare your siblings. They'll be prisoners at first, but maybe they can become soldiers after they prove their loyalty."

"Lady," a voice declared. "The only way we'd ever consider joining you if there was a lifetime supply of pizza involved."

Karai and Leo turned to see the other turtles standing in a broken window.

"And even then we'd have to think about it." Mikey finished.

"So Leo, how's the date going?" Raph asked.

"Raph," Leo began. "It's possible, I'm not saying it's true, but it's possible, I might owe you an apology."

Raph just chuckled as the others leapt down and drew their weapons. Mikey activated his Kusarigama setting and propelled the chain at a bookcase behind Karai.

"Nice aim." Karai noted sarcastically.

"Thanks." Mikey replied pulling on the chain.

Karai looked behind her to see the bookcase fall on top of her. Raph then ran towards Leo and cut him free.

"Come on guys, let's bail." Leo declared.

With that, the turtles made a beeline for the window they entered from and left. Karai pushed the bookcase off of her and got to her feet. Instead of being angry however, she just smiled as she pulled out a special device from her belt.

...

As the turtles ran through the sewers, a thought came to Leo's mind.

"Hold it guys!" Leo called out, causing the others to stop. "Something feels off about this."

"How?" Mikey asked.

"Doesn't it seem a little easy for us to get away from Karai?" Leo asked turning back to the tunnel.

Donnie noticed something on Leo's shell that he knew spelled trouble.

"And I think I know why." Donnie informed them.

He then took a small metal disk off of Leo's shell, twisting it in his fingers.

"Looks like a tracking device." Donnie observed as Leo turned around.

"She was gonna follow us to the lair." Raph surmised.

"We should destroy it." Donnie suggested.

"Wait." Leo spoke up. "I have another idea."

...

"The tracker's leading this way." Karai announced, leading her platoon of foot soldiers through the sewers.

They continued moving through the tunnels at great speed. While they were moving, something came up behind the back two and bashed their heads together knocking them out. Another was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into a dark tunnel. A chain wrapped around another two and pulled them into the tunnel  
Karai then came to a halt as the tracking signal stopped in front of some drainage junction.

"The tracker stops here." she informed her soldiers.

To her surprise, there was no reply to her declaration. She turned around, only to see the forces she came down with were nowhere to be found.

"Lose something?" a voice asked.

Karai turned around again to see the four turtles standing in front of her.

"This must be awkward for you." Leo joked.

"Not really." she told him, drawing her sword. "This time, there aren't any book cases you can drop on me."

"Then we'll do this the old fashioned way." Leo declared as the turtles drew their weapons.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey yelled as they charged toward her.

Karai blocked Leo's sword, then kicked Donnie in the face. As he lowered himself a bit, she shoved Leo away and jumped onto Donnie's back leaping over them and landing on the other side of them.

"Booyakasha?" Karai asked. "What does that even mean?"

"I have no idea, but it's fun to yell!" Mikey admitted as he extended his chain.

This time, Karai caught the chain, wrapped it around her leg and brought it down. This pulled Mikey towards him sending him to the ground. Raph then came at her delivering several sai strikes in her direction. She used her sword to block every one of them. She saw Donnie coming up from behind her out of the corner of her eye, and quickly ducked so his staff would hit Raph instead.

"Sorry." Donnie apologized as Raph hit the ground.

Karai then swept Donnie's feet knocking him over. As she got up, Leo came at her and the two locked blades. The two exchanged blow for blow, not letting the other gain any advantage.

"You're good." Leo admitted. "If Shredder sent you first, maybe he'd actually have us by now."

"I know." Karai agreed. "Sometime my dad can be one stubborn guy."

"Wait, Shredder is seriously your father?" Leo asked blocking another sword strike.

"Of course he is." She told him. "I can't believe you didn't catch that. Leader of a big company. Rival company hitting on their turf. Seriously, you think you'd have learned by now."

"I've learned a lot of things tonight." Leo admitted. "I've also learned to keep my enemy so distracted that they can't see what's going on right in front of them."

Karai became confused, wondering what he meant before realizing there was no sign of the turtles in the tunnel.

"Guys now!" Leo called out.

Donnie nodded and turned a valve. Suddenly, the sound of rushing water filled the tunnels. Leo took this as the cue to run. Karai then looked behind her to see a huge wave of water coming right at her.

"Oh cr-"

Before she could finish, the water swept her away. Leo dove out of the way and joined his brothers as the water gushed down the drain pipe, carrying Karai with it.

"So I guess there won't be a second date." Raph joked.

"Guess not." Leo replied, tossing the tracking device into the water.

...

Back at the lair, Leo was telling everyone what happened.

"I don't know what I was thinking." Leo told them. "I guess I liked the idea of meeting a human who genuinely accepted us and wasn't just roped into our little adventures. Plus I kinda… liked her."

Splinter stroked his chin upon hearing this.

"Leonardo I did warn you that this would not be so straightforward." Splinter told him. "And this Karai seems to be trained as a deadly kunoichi. And the kunoichi's greatest weapon is deception."

"Yeah, found that out the hard way." Leo lamented. "You were right Sensei. I was just believing what I wanted to."

"I would like to point out I knew something was off from the start." Raph voiced. "Just saying."

"Raphael!" Splinter called out before turning back to Leo. "Let us just take heart that you were able to discover the truth before it was too late."

"Yeah." Leo agreed. "Though next time we meet her, I am gonna have a few choice words."

"I'm afraid next time won't be for some time." Splinter told him in an all too serious voice.

This caught the attention of all four turtles.

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Donnie asked.

"Twice already you have encountered the Shredder's forces." Splinter answered. "And twice, one of you has been captured in attempt to get to me."

"Yeah but Sensei, next time we'll be ready." Raph told him.

"Indeed, for you will stay down here until you are!" Splinter practically yelled. "From now on, no patrol, no games, no rest! There is only training!"

None of the turtles were happy about this new development, but they wouldn't dare challenge Splinter on it.

"Starting now!"

...

Across town at the Shredder's sky rise headquarters, another Master was displeased about his student's performance.

"How great a challenge can these turtles pose that my own daughter can't even defeat them?!" Shredder chastised.

"Father, forgive me." Karai pleaded. "I… I fear I underestimated them."

"So much for doing a better job." Hun joked as he and Nakumo stood off to the side.

Karai just glared at him.

"I do not tolerate excuses!" Shredder yelled, regaining Karai's attention.

"Just give me another crack at them." She requested. "I promise I won't fail you again."

Shredder paused for a while, creating tension for everyone in the room.

"No you won't" he finally answered.

"Father?" she asked confused.

"Time after time I have sent my subordinates to finish my ancient enemy. And time after time they fail me."

"But-" she tried to speak.

"No!" he interrupted rising from his throne. "I will not send you out again only for you to return with excuses. It is time I handle these turtles myself."


	10. Enter The Shredder

_In my many years of training, I have discovered a single truth. That in this pathetically weak world, only the strongest rise to heights of great power. My ancestors lived by this ideal and tried implementing it in the world. Now I will finish what they started._

 _I control this city, and soon I shall be master of this world. Nothing can stop me. No police. No government. And certainly not these, mutant freaks who dare challenge me! Do they really think they can best me? I shall crush them all!_

 _I am the Shredder!_

...

True to his word, Splinter had the turtles training nonstop for a week straight. He wanted them well prepared for when they confronted the Foot again.

"More Sensei?" Mikey asked.

"Yes." Splinter confirmed. "More."

Donnie and Mikey then charged towards Leo and Raph, who grabbed them and flipped them over their shoulders onto the ground.

"There is no intention in your strikes." Splinter criticized. "Again!"

"Haven't we done this like a hundred times already?" Raph asked.

"And yet it is not yet perfected." Splinter answered. "We will get this right, even if we have to do this all night."

"We have been doing this all night." Donnie reminded.

The conversation was caught off by the sound of someone snoring. They all looked down to see Mikey fast asleep.

"Wake him up!" Splinter ordered.

"Gladly." Raph responded.

Raph then picked up Mikey and threw him on the ground. He then sprung up screaming.

"Ah! Shredder's here!" He yelled.

"Hey it's ok Mikey." Leo reassured. "You were having a nightmare."

"Aren't we all?" Rap muttered.

"Sensei. Can we rest for a second?" Donnie asked.

"Rest?" Splinter repeated. "The Shredder will not rest… until you are all dead!"

"We know Sensei." Leo acknowledged. "It's just… well we've been training nonstop for a week straight with hardly any sleep. The guys need a break."

"Oh and you don't?" Raph asked harshly.

"No Raph," Leo replied. "I don't."

"Then I'll give you one." Raph threatened pounding his fist.

Before any other action could be taken, Splinter attacked the turtles, knocking them all to the floor.

"You must be prepared for whatever our enemies may throw at us." Splinter instructed. "For if I were the Shredder, none of you would be breathing right now. Understand?!"

Before anyone could respond, Mikey fell asleep again, leaning heavily on Raph. Finally Splinter relented.

"Perhaps a short rest is in order." Splinter said walking out of the dojo. "We will resume in an hour!"

Once he was gone all four turtles collapsed onto the ground.

…

Leo decided to use this free time to practice with his swords for a bit while watching another episode of Space Heroes. In this episode, Captain Ryan was shot by some kind of ray beam coming from some giant robots

 _Ah! The panicons hit me with an anxiety ray!"_ He declared.

This caused the captain to curl up into a ball on the floor.

 _"What are we gonna do?"_ he asked in a state of panic. _"We're all gonna die! And I think I left the food replicator on!"_

 _"Get it together Captain!"_ one of his crew mates, Grunch told him. _"You're our leader, so act like one!"_

Upon hearing this, Ryan slowly got to his feet and proceeded to slap himself in the face.

 _"You're right Grunch."_ Ryan replied. _"That was the anxiety ray talking."_

Suddenly, the Captain was struck with an idea.

 _"I got it!"_ he declared. _"I'll use the thermal charge!"_

He then pulled out a grenade like object and threw it at the robots causing them to explode.

Suddenly, a throwing star came out of nowhere and hit the TV power button, turning it off.

"Hey!" Leo yelled turning to Raph, who threw he throwing star.

"Oh sorry, Leo," Raph apologized sarcastically. "But I'd rather do something more worthwhile with our now limited break time than watch a stupid show like Space Heroes."

"Well you are the expert on what's stupid." Leo commented putting away his swords.

"Well now I know what I'm gonna do with my free time." Raph said getting up from the couch. "I'm gonna use your face as a punching bag!"

"Alright Raph cool off." Leo told him.

"I can help with that!" a voice called.

Leo and Raph turned to see a water balloon flying right at them. Before either of them could react, it hit Raph in the face.

"Dr. Prankenstein strikes again!" Mikey declared tossing a few water balloons in his hands.

Raph wiped the water out of his face and turned towards Leo.

"Say Leo, you'll love this show." He told him cracking his knuckles. "It's called, 'does Mikey bend that way?'"

Mikey quickly bolted screaming as Raph gave chase.

"Come here you little!"

Raph chased Mikey out of the room, leaving Leo standing there just rolling his eyes.

…

At the Foot's sky rise, Nakumo was in the throne room with Hun, Stockman, who now had a robotic hand to replace his severed one, and Karai practicing with his swords.

"Yeesh Nakumo, take it easy." Karai said. "I don't think Shredder will give you another chance because of your mad swords skills."

Nakumo just scowled at this.

"You seem uncharacteristically happy knowing we've failed to bring Master Shredder the heads of his enemies." Nakumo voiced.

"Of course I'm not happy." Karai replied sounding much more serious. "There's nothing I'd like more than another shot at those guys."

"Though I doubt the Master would be too keen on the idea." Hun voiced as Nakumo put his swords away.

"I'm not."

The four turned to see Shredder standing in the doorway walking towards them.

"I entrusted you all with the task of locating Chung Li and his loathsome turtles." He said walking past all of them.

He first heads over to Stockman, who steps back slightly in fear.

"You boasted yourself a scientific genius," he told him. "Yet your intellect is constantly overshadowed by your stupidity."

Hun chuckled at that remark, causing Shredder to turn to him.

"And you," Shredder called out while grabbing his ponytail, causing the behemoth to kneel down in pain. "I should have left you to rot in that dank back alley where I found you."

Shredder then let go of Hun and walked over to Nakumo, who instantly knelt down in respect.

"Master I-"

"I spent years molding you in my image," Shredder cut off. "Teaching you my darkest secrets, and you shame me with your incompetence."

Nakumo lowered his head in shame as Shredder walked past towards Karai. Karai froze up, not sure what Shredder would say or do.

"And you, my own daughter." he spoke. "The biggest disappointment of all. I thought I taught you better."

Karai just lowered her head and clenched her fists as Shredder walked past.

"So the turtles have been lucky so far." Hun admitted as Shredder walked up the stairs to his throne. "It won't last forever."

"Just give us another chance Master." Nakumo asked. "I promise we will-"

"Enough!" Shredder yelled taking a seat in his throne. "I already told you I am weary of your excuses. I will handle finishing Chung Li and the turtles myself. So unless any of you have anything useful to offer, leave!"

Just then, Karai thought of something. Something Leo had said during their 'date'.

"The turtles have allies." Karai informed.

This caught the attention of the Shredder.

"Leonardo said they have other human allies."

"Who?" Shredder demanded.

"I… didn't get their names." Karai admitted, earning a scowl from Shredder. "But he said they saved one from an army of robots and-"

This time it was Stockman's turn to remember something.

"Wait." Stockman interrupted. "I think I might know what she's talking about."

Everyone present turned to Stockman.

"A female news reporter named April O'Neil helped the turtles destroy my mouser robots a while back." He explained. "She must be the one the turtle was talking about."

"The 'minor annoyance' you said you took care of?" Shredder questioned.

Stockman gulped at this question.

"An oversight on my part I will admit." Stockman answered. "But if the turtles are friends with this girl, maybe she can be useful in finding them."

Shredder considered this idea for a moment.

"Very well." Shredder finally spoke. "This could be beneficial after all."

"Let me retrieve her Master." Nakumo offered. "I wish to redeem myself."

"One simple chore does not excuse a string of failure." Shredder criticized. "But I will allow it. Find me this 'April O'Neil', and bring her to me."

"Yes Master." Nakumo replied bowing.

The four of them then started to head out.

"Stockman!" Shredder called out. "I have need of you."

Stockman stopped and turned to face Shredder.

"Of course Master. How may I be of service?" Stockman inquired.

"I need your expertise in devising a plan to destroy the turtles." Shredder explained getting up from his throne.

"I thought Miss O'Neil was the plan to destroy the turtles?" Stockman asked as Shredder walked up to him.

"She will bring Chung Li to me," Shredder clarified. "This part of the plan will strike the turtles right where they live."

"But Master, you don't know where they live." Stockman reminded adjusting his glasses.

"What little intelligence we have collected shows they live in the sewer." Shredder told him. "That is all I need to know."

"So how may I be of help?"

"What do you know of chemical reactions?"

…

"And with any luck, the New York sanitation department will be going as strong for the next one hundred years. This is April O'Neil, channel 6 news."

"And we're out." Vernon informed.

April's showman slime quickly faded into a face off irritation as she walked towards the van and tossed the microphone she was using inside.

"Well that was embarrassing." April commented.

"Oh come on I don't think it was that bad." Vernon tried to reassure.

"I did not go through years of journalism school to report the centennial of a sanitation department."

"Hey blame Burne for the news choice not me." Vernon said defensively.

"The story was bad enough, but did they have to get me in the garbage man's uniform?" she asked gesturing to the yellow jumpsuit she was wearing.

"They said it would help ratings if it seemed like you were one of the crowd." He reasoned. "You know, getting the feel of it."

"I guess," she somewhat relented. "But why this color?"

"Well…" he started to respond, "It was the only one in your size."

April rolled her eyes at his reasoning before walking towards the building.

"Alright I'll see you back at the station." She said.

"You're not riding back?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "After I get changed, I'll take the subway back."

"You sure about that?"

"Bye Vernon!"

…

April made it to the locker room where she had left her clothes, only to find they weren't there. She saw a janitor nearby and went to ask him.

"Hey, there was a set of clothes here a little while ago. Do you know what happened to them?" she asked.

"I think someone took them a little while ago." The janitor answered. "Must've thought they were theirs."

"Great." April lamented. "Now I have to ride back to the station wearing this. Vernon won't let me hear the end of this one."

…

April continued walking down the street towards the Subway. As expected she got several weird looks from people over the attire she was wearing. Finally she reached the subway station, which was surprisingly empty. She stood waiting for the next train while taking out her compact and looking at her reflection.

"Well this day can't get any worse." April let out.

She then saw something in the reflection and turned to see Nakumo and a few Foot Ninja standing in front of her.

"We've been looking for you Ms. O'Neil." Nakumo greeted.

"What do you want?" she asked scared.

"My master is very anxious to meet you." Nakumo told her.

April then reached into her purse and pulled out a can of pepper spray. Before she could use it though, Nakumo swatted it away with ease.

"You'll have to try better than that." He said.

April then resorted to swinging her purse at him and his Foot Ninjas. Fed up, Nakumo simply struck her across the face and fell the ground out cold.

…

In the garage, Donnie was working on the van when the others came up to check on him.

"You still working on that thing Don?" Raph asked.

"Hey don't mock." Donnie challenged. "When it's done it will be one shell of a ride!"

"Splinter's already been training us to the ground, and now you're working on this?" Mikey questioned.

"We all deal with stress in our own way Mikey." Leo told him.

"Yeah, and this is how I deal." Donnie added.

"And this is how I deal." Mikey said before throwing a water balloon in Donnie's face.

Donnie just dropped his tools and chased after him.

"You're next Leo!" Mikey yelled as he and Donnie ran around the van. "Dr. Prankenstein makes house calls!"

…

April slowly woke up to find she was in some warehouse tied to a chair.

"Ah, Ms. O'Neil." Nakumo spoke walking up to her. "Nice to see you're awake."

"What do you want from me?" April asked.

"It's not what I want." Nakumo answered. "It is what my master wants."

"And who is this 'Master' you keep talking about?"

"That would be me."

April went silent at the sound at that voice. Nakumo stepped aside to reveal a tall imposing man in metal armor and a helmet that covered everything but his eyes. It made her think of a medieval Darth Vader.

"Who… Who are you?" April asked nervously.

"You may call me… The Shredder." He introduced.

April gasped at the name.

"Anything else Master?" Nakumo asked turning to face him.

"No." Shredder answered. "Rendezvous with Hun and proceed with the plan."

Nakumo bowed and proceeded to exit the room, leaving the Shredder alone with April.

"Now Ms. O'Neil, I thought we could talk about our mutual friends…" Shredder said in a both threatening and friendly tone. "The turtles."

April froze upon hearing that word.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied.

"Don't be coy with me Ms. O'Neil." Shredder told her. "It will only prolong your stay here. I know all about your reptilian friends. All I need is a way to communicate with them."

"I'm not telling you anything." She snapped, spitting in his face.

Shredder drew his hand back to strike as she braced herself. He stopped when he saw something green sticking out of her purse that was dropped on the floor.

"Well," he said walking over too it. "What have we here?"

Shredder then reached inside and pulled out the shell cell the turtles gave her. April gasped at his discovery of this.

"Yes. This will do nicely."

…

Back at the lair, Splinter had retreated to his room for meditation and left Leo in charge of training. This didn't sit well with the others, particularly Raphael.

"Ok guys, Hoko Noko Mai." Leo instructed.

Donnie and Mikey took a stance, while Raph just stood there with his arms crossed.

"Raph, Hoko Noko Mai." Leo repeated.

"Hoko no way." Raph mocked. "Just because Splinter's been drilling us into the ground doesn't mean you get to."

"We have to be ready next time we encounter the Foot." Leo reasoned.

"We wouldn't need to if you were tricked by the she-ninja!" Raph retorted.

Just then, Donnie's shell cell rang out. Donnie pulled it out to see it was April calling.

"Phew saved by the shell cell." Donnie said relieved. "Uh excuse me for a moment."

"Oh like you did much better against those Foot-Tech Ninjas." Leo remarked.

"At least the Foot-Tech Ninjas did more than bat their eyelashes at me." Raph threw back.

While they were arguing, Donnie stepped away and answered the shell cell.

"April hey." Donnie greeted. "Listen, I'd love to talk, but now might not be the best time."

 _"Oh for the sake of your friend, I suggest you make time."_ Responded a voice that was clearly not April's.

This voice was male, and completely imposing.

"Who is this?" Donnie asked earning the attention of the others. "How did you get April's phone?"

 _"Let us just say it was a given to me."_ The voice informed. _"And I suggest you put me on speaker for the rest of your brethren if you want your friend to stay healthy."_

Donnie then set the shell cell to speaker as the others gathered around.

"Alright we can all hear you." Donnie confirmed. "Now who are you?"

 _"One of you once addressed me as, Oroku Saki."_ The voice reminded. _"But you know me by another name."_

"The Shredder." Leo surmised.

 _"Ah, so Chung Li did tell you about me."_ Shredder regaled. _"Good. Then you know I am not a man of idle threats."_

"What have you done with April?" Raph demanded.

 _"She is quite alright."_ Shredder reassured. _"See for yourself."_

Shredder then held the phone close to April.

 _"Guys don't listen to him."_ She pleaded. _"Stay away! It's a tr-!"_

April was caught off by someone gagging her.

"April!" Donnie called out.

 _"She seems like a nice girl."_ Shredder noted. _"It would be a shame if something were to happen to her."_

"Alright Shredder," Leo relented. "What do you want?"

 _"Only to finish a fight I started fifteen years ago."_ Shredder explained. _"Tell your master that I wish to meet him on the roof of the Wolf Hotel tonight at 10:00. If he fails to show, then Ms. O'Neil's life is forfeit."_

With that, the line went dead, leaving the turtles with the ultimatum set before them.

…

On the other end of the line, Shredder dropped the shell cell on the floor and smashed it with his foot. April just watched in horror.

"And now, the bait is set." Shredder declared.

The Foot Ninjas present then picked up April and started to take her away. April started saying something, but it was inaudible under the gag she was wearing. Shredder held up his hand, signaling the Foot Ninjas to stop. Shredder then went over and took the gag off.

"You won't get away with this!" April declared. "The turtles will stop you."

"Is that so?" Shredder asked replacing the gag. "Well after tonight, the turtles won't be an issue any longer."

April gasped at this.

"Even as we speak, my men are in route of obtaining a truck carrying a substance that will strike at the heart of their home and destroy them. And once Li's spirit is broken by the loss of his, pathetic students, I will shatter his body!"

Shredder than let out a maniacal laugh that made April shudder in fear.

…

"Oh man." Donnie let out. "Oh man oh man oh man. This is bad."

"We gotta tell Master Splinter!" Mikey declared starting towards Splinter's room.

Raph then grabbed the ends of Mikey's mask and pulled him back towards the others.

"Whoa, are you crazy?" Raph asked.

"But Shredder asked for him." Mikey reasoned.

"Yeah," Raph noted. "But how do we know this isn't some kind of trap for him?"

"Raph's right." Donnie concurred. "Given what we know about Shredder the odds of both Splinter and April getting out of this in one piece are… non-existent."

"Well what do we do then?" Leo asked.

All of them stood silent not knowing the answer.

"… We could go." Mikey threw out.

The others turned to him with surprised looks.

"What?" Mikey asked. "He is expecting Splinter. If we show up, maybe we can catch him off guard."

"Mikey maybe onto something." Donnie admitted.

"Seriously?" Leo asked.

"Well it would provide the element of surprise." Donnie reasoned. "Plus it would be four against one. We'd have a number advantage."

"You guys can't be serious." Leo interjected. "We could barely be the Shredder's subordinates. And now you're thinking of fighting the Shredder himself?"

"Do you honestly think Splinter stands a better chance?" Raph asked.

"Well…" Leo tried to answer.

"We got to try." Mikey said. "Don't we?"

"I…I…" Leo replied speechless.

"I can't believe I'm gonna say this." Raph grumbled. "Get it together Captain! You're our leader, so act like one!"

Leo stopped for a second. He thought on what Raph had just quoted. A look of determination spread across his face.

"You're right Raph." Leo finally replied. "That was the anxiety ray talking."

"What?" Raph asked with a smirk on his face. "You're not gonna slap yourself?"

Leo just chuckled at that.

"Come on," Leo said. "Let's go save April."

"Uh guys?" Mikey interrupted. "It's already 9:30. The Wolf Hotel is miles away! We'd never reach there on foot."

That was when Donnie was struck with an idea.

"We're not going on foot." He replied.

…

Up in the garage, the other turtles gathered around a vehicle covered with a sheet as Donnie stood in front of them.

"I was hoping to give this a proper field test." Donnie admitted before pulling the sheet. "But… behold!"

The turtles were awestruck by what they say. The armored van was transformed into a green vehicle with brown plating around the windows and decked out tires.

"You turned the Kraang armored van… into this?" Leo asked astonished.

"Pretty sweet huh?" Donnie replied. "I call it… the Battle Shell!"

"Cool name right?" Mikey asked leaning in to the others. "My idea."

"We can go goo-goo eyed later." Raph remarked shoving Mikey off. "Right now we got a friend to save."

"Raph's right." Leo agreed. "Let's roll."

The four piled into the car. Donnie took to the driver's seat and, after opening the garage door, headed out to confront who was sure to be their greatest enemy.

…

After nearly a half hour of driving, the turtles finally reached their destination. They all got out and looked up at the towering building that stood before them.

"I don't suppose they'd let us use the elevator?" Mikey joked.

The others just shook their heads in response.

"Guess we do this the old fashioned way." Leo observed as he and the others pulled out their climbing claws.

After a long while of climbing, they finally reached the top of the building.

"Shredder!" Leo called out. "We're here! Give us back our friend!"

On the roof of a nearby building, Shredder surveyed the scene before him. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"What is this?" Shredder asked. "I ask for Chung Li to face me like a man and he sends his turtles to fight his battles for him?"

 _"Master."_ Nakumo called on a communication device. _"We are in position. The truck is within our grasp."_

"There seems to be a complication with the plan." Shredder answered back. "The turtles have come instead of Chung Li."

 _"What?"_ Nakumo exclaimed. _"Should we abort the plan?"_

"What's up Shredder!?" Raph called out before Shredder could respond. "Too scared to fight us!?"

This set Shredder off. He growled at the comment.

 _"Master?"_ Nakumo asked snapping him back to reality. _"Should we abort?"_

"No." Shredder finally answered. "We proceed as planned.

 _"But the turtles-!"_

"The plan can still work with the roles reversed. Besides, I am curious to see how good these turtles really are."

Back on the roof, the turtles kept walking across it looking for both their friend, and the Shredder. Donnie looked up at the hotels neon sign and saw something, or someone, very familiar.

"Guys look!" Donnie called out.

The others looked up and saw April tied up and gagged on top of the sign.

"It's April!" Mikey called out.

"That just leaves one question," Leo stated.

"Where's the Shredder?" Raph finished.

Just then, a maniacal laughter filled the air. The turtles looked around in all directions to find its source.

"I am here!" the Shredder called out as he landed on the ledge of the roof.

The turtles turned to see the Shredder standing in a dramatic pose. His very presence sent shivers down their spines, as did his voice.

"And I fear no one!" he finished.

Mikey gulped at the presence before him.

"Found him." he squeaked.

Shredder then got off the edge and walked towards them.

"So these are the Ninja Turtles that have given my forces so much trouble." Shredder observed. "I must say, I am… unimpressed."

"Well what were you expecting?" Raph asked.

"I expected Chung Li to fight me man to man." Shredder answered.

"Sorry, something smelled like a trap." Leo replied. "So we decided to come instead. Hope that isn't an issue."

"Hardly." Shredder responded. "After hearing the challenges you have given my men, I will take great pleasure in destroying you myself."

Once he finished speaking, Shredder's claws extended from his gauntlets as he took a fighting stance.

"Fine by me!" Raph replied drawing his sai.

He then charged at Shredder full force. Shredder side stepped out of the way of Raph's attack. Raph quickly turned and delivered a series of sai strikes, each one was blocked by Shredder. Shredder then caught an attack in his claw and then punched Raph in the face, knocking him to the ground. Donnie then leapt into the air and tried to bring his staff down on him. Shredder quickly rolled forward as Donnie made contact and kicked him in the back of the shell. Mikey ran up swinging his nunchucks at him. Shredder caught one nunchaku and brought him in close so he could kick him in the stomach. Shredder then quickly turned around to see Leo flying at him with his swords drawn. Shredder quickly caught him, threw him in the ground, and kicked him in the chest sending him sliding across the floor.

Leo held his head as he rose up to see Shredder descending towards him. He quickly rolled out of the way as Shredder's claw stabbed into the ground.

"Fools!" Shredder yelled pulling out his claw. "You are merely students. I am a master! You are nothing to me!"

Leo finished rolling and got to his feet as his brothers landed behind him.

"We're just getting started!" Leo declared.

The four of them then charged towards Shredder as he readied himself for the fight ahead.

…

 _Splinter continued running down a dark hallway. All around him, he could hear the sounds of his sons in pain, as if they were fighting someone. Finally, he reached an area that was bathed in an eerie dim light. As he stepped into it, he felt something wet beneath his feet. He looked down, and to his horror, he found himself standing in blood. He back up to see the strewn bodies of the turtles laying on the ground, cuts and slash marks on their bodies and their weapons broken to pieces._

 _"No!" Splinter cried out dropping to his knees. "This… this can't be happening!"_

 _"Oh but it is old friend." a sinister voice taunted._

 _Splinter looked up to see Shredder standing over the turtles bodies with blood on his claws and the body of Leonardo in his hands._

 _"It seems there isn't a family you can have, that I won't tear apart." he tormented. "A poor Sensei you turned out to be."_

 _Shredder then took his claw and swung it at Leo's head, causing Splinter to cry out._

...

Splinter snapped out of his trance, gasping for air and sweating. He stood up, taking up his walking stick and exited his room.

"My sons," Splinter greeted. "I have been in deep meditation about the Shredder and-"

He stopped when he saw the dojo was empty. He let out a groan in frustration.

"Of course." He lamented. "I can't even take a few minutes to sit down and meditate without those kids running off."

Splinter was about to exit the dojo when he saw a note sitting on a shelf. He picked it up and read it.

 _Dear Sensei_

 _Sorry to run out like this, but there was an emergency with April. We should be back before dawn._

 _Love Mikey_

 _P.S. If we aren't back by then, then we're at the Wolf Hotel doing the one thing you didn't want us to do._

Splinter paused for a bit to ponder his sons meaning.

"Hmmm what is the one thing I did not want them to do?" Splinter asked himself.

Suddenly, the answer came to him.

"Face the Shredder?!"

He dropped his stick upon coming to that realization. His mind flooded with emotions. They could be fighting the Shredder right now. Who knows what he could be doing to them? Splinter turned his head a bit to see an old picture of him and his master, Hamato Yoshi. Suddenly he remembered something, the family he had maybe gone, but his present family was still alive. And they needed him. He then rose with a determined look on his face.

"This is no time to stand here like a fool Li." Splinter told himself. "Your sons need you."

…

Back on the rooftop, the turtles were in for the fight of their lives. Donnie struck high with his staff, but Shredder was able to block it. He then tried to strike low, but Shredder was able to block that too. Shredder then kneed Donnie in the gut, than kicked him in the chest. Mikey then ran towards Shredder and began swinging his nunchucks wildly at him. Shredder however, was able to block every strike with his gauntlets with relative ease. Shredder then picked Mikey up by the belt and threw him aside, making him tumble across the roof. Raph ran towards him and jumped towards him trying to kick him. Shredder just caught the leg and spun him around sending him crashing him into Mikey. Leo then came up and tried to strike at Shredder with his sword, but it was easily blocked. Leo then let loose a series of strikes against Shredder, all of them blocked. Finally, one strike sliced Shredder on the arm. Shredder grunted at this and punched Leo in the face, sending him spinning through the air until he hit the ground. Shredder held his arm groaning at his injury.

"Is it just me or are we getting our shells kicked?" Mikey asked as the turtles regrouped.

"Ask me again when we're winning." Donnie answered.

"That's what I thought." Mikey said.

"We're not going to win this one." Leo admitted. "We have to grab April and get out of here."

"Great idea." Raph agreed. "But I don't think that will be possible with Shred-head hounding at us!"

"Right." Leo noted thinking of a plan. "Mikey, you go for April. The rest of us will keep Shredder busy."

"On it!" Mikey called.

Leo then charged towards Shredder swinging his swords at him. Shredder caught them in his gauntlets. Just then Donnie jumped over them and swung his staff at Shredders head. This knocked Shredder across the roof, but he quickly recovered as Leo came up. Shredder easily backed away from each of Leo's swings before kicking him in the chest. Raph ran up and tried stabbing him with his sai. Shredder just dodged it and elbowed him in the face. Donnie then came up from behind and tried striking him on the shoulder, but it only resulted in a part of the staff getting broken off. Shredder then turned around and grabbed Donnie, throwing him into a recovering Raph. Leo then came up and locked his swords against his claws. Shredder then looked up to see Mikey climbing up the sign towards April. Shredder shoved Leo off and charged towards the sigh. Leo and Donnie leapt into the air at him ready to strike. Shredder quickly turned around and attacked them with his claws, sending them flying across the roof.

On top of the sign, Mikey finally made it to April and proceeded to cut her ropes.

"Hang on April," Mikey reassured. "We're gonna get you out of here."

Finally, her ropes were cut and the gag was removed. Suddenly her face was that of terror.

"Look out!" She yelled.

Mikey looked behind him and saw Shredder trying to stab him. He and April quickly ducked his claw and he kicked him away from the two of them. Shredder rolled backwards and got to his feet just as Mikey came up with his nunchucks. Shredder deflected every swing dealt to him. Shredder then grabbed Mikey by the throat and brought him close to his face. This terrified Mikey, but he knew he had to act now. He then kicked Shredder off the sign. Before he hit ground though, Mikey extended his chain and tossed it at Shredder, wrapping it around his hand. Mikey then grabbed April and the two jumped off the other side of the platform, raising Shredder higher. Mikey then locked the other end of the kusarigama under one of the sign's letters and he and April dropped to the ground, leaving Shredder suspended in the air. The others ran up to check on them.

"You guys ok?" Leo asked.

"I'm good." Mikey answered. "You April?"

"A little rattled, but I'm alive." April admitted. "Thanks to you."

"Come on," Leo spoke. "Let's get out here and go home"

That's when April remembered something.

"Guys wait!" April called out, getting the attention of the others. "Shredder's got something planned. Something that will destroy your home!"

"And Splinter!" Leo realized. "Come on, we got to-"

Before Leo could finish, the sound of metal slicing through metal filled the air. The turtles and April looked up to see Shredder slicing through one of the letters of the sign, causing it to fall to the ground, the turtles dove out of the way of the falling letter, causing them to fall to the ground. April dove in the opposite direction rolling on the ground for a bit. She slowly got up and what looked like a small earpiece. Not entirely knowing why, she picked up the ear piece.

Shredder meanwhile had cut the chain suspending him, causing him to drop to the ground. He then walked over to the turtles, who were still on the ground trying to pick themselves up. They gasped in fear as the Shredder stood over them.

"You will go nowhere." Shredder declared as he extended one of his claws and raising it overhead. "None of you will leave here alive."

The turtles braced themselves for their fate as Shredder brought the claw down on them. Noting how long it was taking the blade to make contact, the turtles opened their eyes. What they saw not only shocked them, but Shredder as well. It was Splinter. He was blocking the strike with his stick. Shredder was dumbfounded by the giant rat standing before him.

"What?!" Shredder shouted, "This city is infested with freaks!"

Splinter then shoved Shredder off and struck him with his staff sending him skidding across the roof. The turtles got to their feet happy to see their master.

"Splinter!" they all called out.

Splinter turns to them smiling before turning back to face the Shredder.

"Your feud lies with me Saki!" Splinter declared.

Shredder couldn't believe what he heard. It wasn't just the voice that set him off, but the choice of words he had used. He knew all too well who this rat was.

"Chung Li?" Shredder asked surprised. "A rat?"

Shredder then just laughed at this revelation.

"I see the years have not been kind to you old friend." Shredder told him. "You're as hideous as the turtles that surround you."

"Well you don't exactly have the highest stance on fashion." Mikey joked. "I mean, nice outfit."

"Impudent fool!" Shredder yelled. "This armor is the highest honor of the Foot Clan!"

"Honor?!" Splinter yelled. "What do you know of honor? You abandoned all pretense of honor when you killed my master in cold blood!"

"You waste your words Li." Shredder threw back. "Even if you somehow manage to beat me I will still have victory tonight."

Splinter raised an eyebrow at this.

"Even as we speak, my men are enacting a plan that will destroy your precious hideout. Even if you beat me, you will have no home to run back to."

"When I get through with you, you're the one who's gonna be running!" Raph threatened stepping forward.

Splinter held his stick in front of Raph, stopping him.

"No." Splinter told him.

"But-!" Raph started to say.

"Go. Save our home." Splinter instructed. "I will handle the Shredder."

The turtles nodded and they, and April, took off towards the edge of the building and descended to their ride below. This left Splinter and Shredder alone for a long awaited confrontation.

"It doesn't matter." Shredder dismissed. "They cannot stop what has already begun. Your end is assured."

"If that were true you would have ended us a long time ago." Splinter threw back.

Shredder groaned at this.

"Insolent fool!" Shredder shouted. "Now I will finish what I can with your ear!"

Shredder and Splinter then charged at each other locking weapons. The fight had begun.

…

On the streets, the Battle Shell zoomed down the street at high speed with the turtles and April inside.

"Alright guys," Leo spoke. "We gotta stop the Foot before they destroy the lair!"

"But how are we gonna find them?" Raph asked.

"How about this?" April asked holding out the earpiece she found.

Donnie took it and examined it.

"Looks like some kind of communication device." Donnie observed.

"I found it on the roof." April told them. "I think it belonged to Shredder."

"Must've gotten knocked loose during the fight." Leo guessed.

"Don, maybe you can track the signal?" Mikey suggested. "Like you did with the Foot-Tech Ninjas?"

"I think I can." Donnie said pulling out some equipment from the back. "I just need some time."

Donnie then began tinkering with the device trying to patch the frequency to his scanner. Finally he had a blip.

"Got it!" he yelled. "Turn left!"

Leo, who was at the wheel, quickly turned left and then accelerated in the direction the signal was showing.

…

Back on the rooftop, Splinter and Shredder were still duking it out. Shredder unleashed a massive surge of attacks against Splinter, all of which he was able to block. Finally, Splinter got an opening and thrusted his stick forward. Shredder caught it in his claws and broke the tip off. He then jumped in the air ready to attack. Splinter then thrusted his staff forward as a blade came out of the end. Shredder was quick to move his head dodging as Splinter moved out of the way of Shredders touchdown.

"My master is dead!" Splinter yelled. "Why must you persist in this insanity!?"

"I told you a long time ago that I swore on my brother's grave that I would end Hamato Yoshi and all those who chose to follow him." Shredder told him. "Besides, even if these 'turtles' weren't serving you they insist on standing against me. And I crush anyone who stands against me!"

"You will not lay a hand on my sons!" Splinter threatened readying his bladed stick.

Shredder just laughed that off.

"Your sons?" Shredder scoffed extending one claw after another. "You think you're their father? Have you become so desperate for belonging after Yoshi's passing you cling to these freaks as your family?"

Splinter had heard enough. He charged at Shredder swinging his stick at him several times. Shredder was able to block most of them, but one was able to slice his arm. Shredder let out a grunt of pain. He then spun around and elbowed him in the back of the head. Splinter landed on his hands before springing off and landing on his feet facing Shredder.

"Not bad, rat" Shredder admitted taking a fighting stance. "I have tasted your blade, now taste mine!"

…

The turtles kept driving following the signal. As they turned the next corner, they found a chemical truck driving at high speeds. Donnie looked at the scanner and saw the signal was right in front of them.

"That's it!" Donnie declared. "That's where the signals coming from!"

Leo drove alongside the truck and Mikey noticed something written on it.

"Chlorosulfonic acid? Mikey read. "Donnie what's that?"

Donnie looked at the truck. He had a startling realization.

"Oh no." he said. "Guys, I know what Shredders plan is! That chemical reacts violently with water!"

"Wait," Mikey realized. "The sewers are filled with water!"

"So if that stuffs dumped into the sewers," Raph started to say.

"It will incinerate everything. Including the lair!" Donnie finished.

"That's not gonna happen!" Leo declared. "Donnie, what kind of weapons does this thing have?"

"Oh I have a ton of great ideas!" Donnie told him. "Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to install any of them."

"What?!" Raph yelled.

"Well I haven't exactly had a whole lot of time to work on this now have I?" Donnie retorted.

"Then we do this the old fashioned way." Leo decided. "Raph, with me. April, take the wheel. Get us alongside them."

Leo then got out of his seat and April got in quick to take control. She then managed to get alongside the truck. Leo and Raph opened the back of the truck and climbed onto the roof. They then leapt onto the roof of the chemical truck.

This was noticed by Hun and Nakumo, who were in the cab of the truck.

"Looks like we've got company." Hun observed.

"Deal with it." Nakumo, who was driving, ordered.

Hun nodded and proceeded to climb onto the top of the truck, where Leo and Raph were surprised to see him.

"Ah crud." Raph let out.

"We beat him before." Leo reminded.

"I've been waiting for a rematch with you shell backs." Hun taunted cracking his knuckles.

Hun then ran at the two and tried smashing them with his fists. Raph back flipped out of the way and Leo leapt over him. Raph then ran towards Hun and tried punching him, but Hun caught the fist. Leo then leapt onto Hun's head, causing him to let go of Raph. Hun then grabbed hold of Leo and threw him off the truck. Leo quickly pulled out his sword and stabbed into the side of the truck.

Back in the Battle Shell, Donnie, Mikey, and April were watching the fight play out.

"We've got to stop that truck!" April declared.

"How?" Mikey asked.

Donnie thought for a moment.

"I got an idea." Donnie let out.

Donnie then proceeded to climb to the top of the truck as well. He then took out his Bo staff and activated the blade end. Then, after precise aim, threw it at the driver's side window. The staff struck through the window, catching Nakumo off guard, and stabbed into the brake pedal. The truck screeched to a stop, throwing Hun and Raph off. After the truck finally stopped, Leo planted his feet on the side of the truck and pushed off. His sword left a whole in the side of the truck causing a leak in the chemical.

Donnie then leapt to the truck, kicked Nakumo out of the truck. After reclaiming his staff, he got out of the truck and engaged Nakumo head on. Nakumo drew his swords and blocked every staff strike Donnie dealt him.

Back in the Battle Shell, April stopped the vehicle a ways from the truck.

"I gotta get out there." Mikey yelled running towards the back.

As Mikey ran out he tripped on something causing him to fall to the ground. He turned to see a compartment open and several water balloons on the ground.

"Hey my water balloon stash." Mikey said joyously. "I was wondering where those were."

He then gasped at a realization.

"Wait a minute... I know how to stop them!"

Back at the fight, Hun tried bringing his fist down on Raph, but he just jumped out of the way next to Leo. Hun then swiped his fist towards both of them and knocked them aside.

Nakumo delivered one sword strike against Donnie after another, all of which were blocked by Donnie's staff. The two were in a weapons lock when they heard something.

"Hey!" Mikey called out.

This earned the attention of everyone on the battlefield.

"I'm gonna give you all one chance to back off!" Mikey declared before pulling out a water balloon from behind his back. "Or I'm gonna use this."

Everyone just stared for a moment at this.

"A water balloon?" Raph asked.

"Really Mikey?" Leo added.

"Wait a minute…" Donnie pondered. "Mikey! Throw it!"

"You got it, D!" Mikey answered before chucking it.

The water balloon flew over the heads of everyone, much to the amusement of Hun and Nakumo.

"Ha, missed." Hun joked.

"Hit the dirt!" Donnie yelled.

The turtles then got up and ran for cover as the water balloon his the chemical leak. This caused some high pitched noise to let out that Hun and Nakumo took not

"Aw-" Hun started to let out.

Before he could finish, the truck exploded, launching the two bad guys though the air. The turtles peaked out from behind the car they were using as cover to see the aftermath.

"Nice shot Mikey." Leo complimented turning to him.

"I am never doubting your water balloons again." Raph told him.

"Yes!" Mikey yelled joyously. "Dr. Prankenstein for the win!"

"Come on," Leo told them. "Let's go see if we can help Sensei."

…

Back on the rooftop, the explosion of the chemical truck could be seen by Splinter and Shredder.

"It would seem your plan has failed Saki." Splinter observed.

Enraged, Shredder smacked Splinter so hard he flew across off the roof and landed tumbling onto the roof of a nearby building. Shredder then landed on the rooftop and slowly walked over to Splinter.

"It does not matter." Shredder dismissed. "Once I am done with you, I will finish the turtles myself!"

Shredder brought up one of his claws and tried to bring it down on Splinter, but Splinter used his bladed stick to block it just in time.

"No!" Splinter yelled. "You already destroyed my family once! I will not allow that to happen again!"

"You already tried to defend those you claimed to care about and failed!" Shredder threw back as Splinter got to his feet still locking weapons with him. "Man, or freak, you cannot defeat me!"

"That remains to be seen." Splinter replied.

Splinter then moved around Shredder and struck him in the back with the blunt end of his stick before leaping near a water tower that was on the roof. Splinter took note of this and motioned Shredder to come at him. Shredder then charged at him, yelling as he did, and let loose a series of attacks at Splinter as the two made their way under the water tower. Shredder then used his claw to swipe at Splinter, but Splinter ducked causing Shredder to slice through one of the towers support beams. Splinter took note of this and an idea formed in his mind. He quickly moved over to another support beam and moved out of the way so Shredder could slice that one as well. Splinter repeated this process until Shredder had unknowingly sliced through all the towers support beams. Splinter was about to get out from under it, but Shredder came up and kneed him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Pathetic." Shredder commented picking him up by the throat and extending his claw. "It is time I put you out of your misery."

Before he could finish it though, Shredder noticed the water tower starting to tilt back and forth.

"What?" he exclaimed. "What is this?!"

"This…" Splinter started to answer. "…is for my Master Yoshi!"

Splinter then knocked Shredder's hand away from his throat, leapt over him, and threw his staff and one of the pieces of a beam Shredder sliced. Shredder saw the tower starting to topple and Splinter standing outside of it with a smirk on his face. Shredder then started running away from the tower as it crashed on the ground and the water inside rushed out. Shredder was caught up in the current and it threw him off the side of the building.

…

Driving back, the turtles saw the water tower fall off the roof. They decided to accelerate and get to their master, fearing the worst.

…

Shredder was aching in pain after being thrown to the ground. He slowly turned over to see the water tower plummeting toward him. Thinking fast, he rolled out of the way just as the tower exploded on the ground.

Splinter had made his way to the ground, just as the turtles and pulled up. They all got out of the car to check on him.

"Sensei!" They all called out as they rushed over to him.

"Sensei! Are you ok?" Mikey asked.

"Yes Michelangelo." Splinter answered. "I am unharmed.

"What about the Shredder?" Leo asked.

Suddenly a noise caused them all to turn and see Shredder standing on top of the destroyed water tower, and looking severely ticked off.

"Would people stop asking about that guy?" Mikey asked.

"Fools!" Shredder yelled. "I will pry those shells off your backs!"

"You're gonna have to catch us first!" Leo yelled back. "Mikey?"

"So long sukkah!" Mikey yelled pulling out a smoke bomb.

Mikey then threw the smoke bomb right in front of Shredder. Shredder averted his eyes for a moment before jumping into the cloud of smoke. As the smoke cleared, Shredder saw they were all gone and the Battle Shell was driving off.

"Noooooooo!" Shredder yelled infuriated.

…

They just kept driving until they reached the warehouse above the lair.

"Whew." Leo let out. "What a night."

"So what's with the jumpsuit April?" Raph asked. "Got a new job at a carwash?"

"Nah. Just a wardrobe mishap." April explained.

"Well I think you look great." Donnie complimented. "I mean… you thinking about keeping it?"

"Ha, not in this lifetime." April replied.

"I'm just glad you're safe." Mikey commented. "That we're all safe."

"Indeed." Splinter agreed. "And now…"

Splinter then proceeded to strike all the turtles on the head. They then proceeded to let out groans of pain.

"Ow." Donnie let out. "Yeesh Sensei, we're sore enough."

"Yeah what was that for?" Raph asked.

"Because I warned you about confronting the Foot!" he chastised. "Much less the Shredder!"

"We know Sensei." Leo spoke up. "But Shredder called us and said he wanted to fight you. And we thought it was a trap so…"

"Hmm I see." Splinter noted. "It was dangerous and reckless to fight the Shredder like that…"

The turtles hung their heads low.

"… and I am proud of you all."

This caught everyone by surprise.

"What?" They all asked.

"You were forced to face great fears instilled in you, both from the Shredder, and from me. I was so scared of losing you that I instilled insecurities in you myself. But when you confronted your fears, you emerged victorious. You even forced me to confront my inner demons tonight, and for that I am grateful."

The turtles smiled at this.

"Thank you Sensei." Leo responded. "And don't worry. I think after tonight, we'll be willing to put in the extra training for next time."

"Oh yeah." Mikey agreed.

"Definitely." Donnie chimed in.

"You said it." Raph added.

"Excellent." Splinter said. "Though I think tonight calls for a long rest."

"Agreed." All four turtles agreed.

…

Back at the Foot skyrise, Shredder was sitting in his throne as Hun and Nakumo relayed their report. Karai took a certain amount of enjoyment out of this.

"So let me get this straight," Karai began to ask while chuckling. "You guys got taken out by a water balloon?"

"I know it sounds silly, but-"Hun started to reply.

They were interrupted by Shredder letting out a groan of irritation. Everyone turned to face him.

"Master?" Nakumo asked.

"What? Their latest failure rub you the wrong way?" Karai asked.

"If anyone is to blame it is me." Shredder said.

This surprised everybody.

"I have underestimated my enemies tonight. It is clear to me now that Chung Li and the turtles are a problem not easily brushed away. Instruct all our forces to ready themselves. For as of this moment… we are at war."


	11. Meet Casey Jones

_I guess you can call it fate, but I finally managed to find someone as angry as I am._  
 _My name is Raphael. I was just out blowing some steam when I run into some hotshot in a hockey mask thinking he's gonna clean the streets of crime, and he's really working my last nerve._  
 _I have no idea who this bozo is, but he's gonna see just how angry I can get._

...

In the dojo of the turtle's lair, the turtles stood in rows of two across from each other with Splinter standing in the middle.

"My sons," Splinter addressed. "You have shown great strength in conquering the enemies you have faced. But if you really wish to defeat the likes of the Kraang and the Shredder, you must work as a team. And to grow as a team, you must learn each other's strengths and weaknesses."

"I'm liking where this is going." Raph voiced cracking his knuckles.

"This competition is a free for all." Splinter finished. "Last turtle standing wins."

"Yeah I like it." Raph replied drawing his sai.

 _"Hajime!"_

The turtles then bolted at each other. Raph made a beeline for Mikey, only to be intercepted by Leo swing his sword at him. Raph then quickly brought his sai up to block it.

"What are you doing Leo?" Raph asked. "I was going for Mikey!"

"What part of 'last turtle standing' do you not understand?" Leo asked shoving Raph away.

Mikey meanwhile was dodging every swing from Donnie's Bo Staff.

"Come on Mikey, give it up!" Donnie taunted still swinging his staff. "I am a master strategist. I know every move before you make it. What are you gonna do?"

Mikey finally landed on the ground and pulled out one of his nunchaku and spun it around.

"You wanna see what I got?" Mikey asked pulling out and spinning his second nunchaku and spinning it. "You wanna see what I got?"

Mikey then straight up belched in Donnie's face, causing him to fan away the smell while stepping backwards.

"Ugh right in my face Mikey?" Donnie asked disgusted.

"Garlic and pepperoni pizza." Mikey informed before sweeping Donnie's legs knocking him to the ground.

"Misdirection and distraction," Splinter observed as Mikey mimicked his movements. "Powerful weapons in a ninja's arsenal."

Splinter then turned to see Mikey mimicking him, causing Mikey to stop.

Raph meanwhile was continuing to block Leo's sword strikes. After Leo swung his sword at Raph and Raph ducked it, Raph hooked Leo's hand with his sai and flipped him over his shoulder onto the ground.

"Sorry Leo," Raph sarcastically apologized. "It's a ninja eat ninja world."

"Then you're about to be lunch bro!" Mikey called out, gaining Raph's attention.

Raph then leapt into the air and fell towards him in a kicking form. Mikey then rolled out of the causing Raph to fall on the ground.

"Ha, nice fall Raphael." Mikey taunted. "Hope you don't trip getting up."

Raph growled at this putting his sai away and pounded his fist.

"That's it Mikey!" He declared getting up. "Bro or no, you got to go!"

Raph then leapt forward and tried punching Mikey, but Mikey was quick to dodge it.

"Good reverse punch." Mikey complimented.

Raph tried kicking him, but he missed again.

"Excellent roundhouse kick too."

Raph tried attacking again but Mikey just jumped over him.

"Not a bad dragon punch either."

Raph then turned and charged at him

"But you're just a little too…" Mikey commented as he dodged Raph's punch and delivered one of his own. "…slow."

Raph then stumbled into a wall and bounced off it dizzily.

"Actually, much too slow." Mikey added.

Raph then regained his focus and ran at him and unleashed a barrage of punches at him, all of which Mikey dodged.

"Will! You! Shut! Your! Trap!" he yelled with each punch.

"Why does my talking distract you?" Mikey asked jokingly. "Causing you to lose focus? Messing up your concentration?"

Raph then tried upper cutting Mikey, but he just back flipped out of the way.

"You think you're better than me?" Raph asked racing toward him. "Do you?"

The two then grabbed each other's hands struggled to get the advantage on the other.

"No." Mikey answered before tripping him and sending him flying. "You're just too cocky."

Raph then crashed into a wall and several practice sticks that were shelved on it fell on top of him.

"Well done Michelangelo." Splinter congratulated.

"Alright!" Mikey exclaimed. "I rock! I rock! Go Mikey go Mikey go! Go Mikey go Mikey go! Go! Go! G-"

Before he could continue, Splinter hit him on the head with his stick.

"Of course, the mark of a true warrior is humility." Splinter informed.

Mikey chuckled nervously at this before bowing in respect.

"Sorry Master Splinter." He apologized.

Splinter bowed back as he saw Raph slowly getting up growling.

"Humility extends to losers as well Raphael." Splinter told him.

Breathing heavily, Raph then gripped one of the practice sticks and charged toward Mikey.

"Yeah Raph." Mikey agreed. "No one likes a sore los-"

Before Mikey could finish, Raph struck him across the face with the practice stick so hard it knocked him to the ground and knocked him out cold. Still enraged, Raph tried charging at him again, but was thrown up against a well by Leo.

"Raphael!" Leo yelled still pushing against him. "Have you lost your mind?!"

Slowly, Raph's rage subsided, and he could see Donnie tending to an unconscious Mikey.

"Dude," Donnie called back. "What were you thinking?"

Raph just stood there speechless for a moment as Leo let up.

"Leo…" Raph let dropping the stick. "Mikey I… I didn't mean…"

"Raphael!" Splinter called out walking up to him. "We have been over this before. Anger is a dangerous ally. It clouds your judgment, and threatens to destroy you from within. A true warrior must find balance in all things."

"Raph I think it best you go for a while." Leo told him.

"I…" Raph started to respond. "Yeah you're right… I need some air."

Raph then bolted out of the dojo and out of the lair.

...

Minutes later Raph was on the rooftops racing across in a moment of anxiety. He finally stopped on one to catch his breath. He then let out a roar of frustration.

"What is wrong with me?!" He yelled.

 _"And the mysterious damage to the neon sign of the Wolf Hotel should be completed within the month. In other news, more reports have surfaced about a mysterious vigilante in a hockey mask in relation to attacks on various local street gangs. Majority of reports have been connected to the notorious Purple Dragons gang."_

"Purple Dragon scum."

The man watching this news report on TV was in his mid-20s with black hair, a red sleeveless shirt and light blue pants. Having heard enough, he turned off the TV and walked over to a table where a hockey mask laid.

"Someone's got to stop those punks." He said putting the mask on.

He then picked up a golf bag that had a hockey stick, two baseball bats, a golf club, a croquet mallet and a cricket bat in it and slung it over his shoulder.

"They'll pay." He said taking out the hockey stick and spinning it in his hand. "They'll all pay! Cause Casey Jones is on the job!"

...

Raph continued running across the rooftops with no idea where he was going. He just kept running when he heard a woman's scream coming from an alleyway. Raph made his way to the alley way and perched himself on a fire-escape over it. He saw a woman backing against a wall as three Purple Dragons approached her in an imposing manner.

"These guys picked the wrong night." Raph remarked.

One the dragons started grabbing her purse when what sounded like metal clanging rang out.

"Purple Dragons." A voice from the other end of the alley called out. "Come out and play."

The dragons turned to see Casey Jones banging his hockey stick on a trash can lid.

"It's that vigilante creep!" one dragon called out.

"Let's get him!" Another one yelled.

"This is gonna be good." Raph commented.

The dragons charged at Casey full force. As they came up, Casey gave one an uppercut with the trash can lid. As the second tried punching him, but he ducked under it and smacked him with the hockey stick. The third slowly backed away before trying to run. Casey just tossed the lid into the air and hit it with the hockey stick, sending it soaring at the dragons head sending him to the ground.

"He shoots, he scores!" Casey yelled before turning to the other two. "I'm putting you punks out of business. Permanently!"

Casey then raised his hockey stick overhead ready to finish the fight. Raph took note of this and looked concerned.

"That guys out of control." He noted. "Looks like it's time for a little intervention."

Raph then leapt off the fire escape and grabbed Casey's arm before he could swing his stick.

"Easy there cowboy!" Raph called out as Casey pulled his arm free. "You won. They're down. You did well. Just take it easy."

Casey backed away at the sight of Raph's appearance. Before he could react though, he saw that the dragons were getting away.

"Aw man they're getting away." He complained before turning back to Raph. "Stay out of my business freak!"

He then punched Raph to the ground and took off after the Purple Dragons. Raph just rub his head as he got back to his feet. He then turned towards the woman who was getting mugged and walked over to her.

"Sorry about all that ma'am." He apologized. "You alright?"

"Keep away you… you lizard thing!" she yelled running away.

"You're welcome." Raph said to himself. "It's no problem at all."

With that he ran off to find Casey before he found the Purple Dragons.

...

Back at the lair, Mikey was set up on the couch as Donnie and Leo tried waking him up. However, nothing seemed to be working.

"I'm stumped." Donnie lamented. "We've tried smelling salts, nudging, and even some old sewer slime. Nothing seems to be waking him up."

That's when Leo was struck with an idea.

"I'll be right back." Leo told him before walking out of the room.

Leo then came back with a phone book in his hands and dropped it on a table that was in the same room.

"Well that didn't work." Donnie noted.

"Good thing that's not my plan." Leo informed flipping through the pages.

"I think you're taking the term wake up call too literally." Donnie joked.

"Just trust me." Leo reassured still looking through the pages. "Aha! Found it."

Leo then proceeded to pull out his shell cell and dialed the number he found in the phone book.

"Hello?" he answered. "Antonio's Pizza?"

"You're ordering a pizza?" Donnie questioned. "Now?"

"Shh." Leo silenced. "Yeah I'd like a large thick crust with pepperoni, ham…"

Donnie just shook his head as he turned away to see April walking into the lair from the secret elevator.

"April." Donnie said surprised.

"Hey Donnie." She greeted back.

"Hey, what brings you by?"

"Something I wanted to talk to Splinter about."

"Really" Donnie let out. "What?"

Before she could answer, she saw Mikey unconscious on the couch.

"What happened to him?" She asked.

"Raph knocked him out." Donnie answered. "We've been trying to wake him up."

"… oh and no anchovies on this one and I mean no anchovies." Leo continued. "You put anchovies on this and you're in big trouble my friend."

"And Leo's plan is to order a pizza." April questioned.

"Apparently." Donnie responded.

"Yeah that will do. And the clocks ticking." Leo finished before handing up. "Trust me guys, I got everything under control."

...

Raph continued running down the alley until he heard some someone groaning in pain. He then saw the shadow of Casey wailing away on the dragons.

"Stop." One called out.

"We give up." The second one added.

"Give up? Casey asked. "There's no giving up. You commit the crime, you pay the penalty."

He then proceeded to smack the three across the face.

"Two minutes for slashing," Casey said before hooking his stick under a dragon's foot as he tried getting up. "Too minutes for hooking, and let's not forget my personal favorite, two minutes for high sticking!"

Casey then brought his stick overhead ready to strike, only for Raph to kick him in the back knocking him to the ground.

"How about a five minute game misconduct for roughing pal." Raph retorted.

Casey slowly got up and turned to Raph.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my way." Casey yelled.

"You did, and I decided not to." Raph retorted as the dragons got away.

Casey took note of this and tried to run after them. Raph just jumped over him and landed right in front of him.

"Just back off freako." Casey told him. "Someone's gotta teach those Purple Dragon punks a lesson."

"No argument there," Raph agreed. "But not like this."

"I don't have time for this!" Casey dismissed. "They're getting away!"

Casey tried heading off, but Raph took hold of his arm.

"Will you just cool it for a second?" Raph asked irritated.

Casey shoved Raph's arm off and punched him so hard he collided with the alley wall. Raph slowly got to his feet in a crouched position as Casey put away his hockey stick.

"Looks like you're the one in need of a lesson." Casey noted pulling out two baseball bats and spinning them in his hands. "The class is Pain 101. Your instructors Casey Jones."

Raph just grinned as he stood up and pulled out his sai.

"Alright 'teach'," he remarked. "Let's do this."

Casey then charged at Raph and swung both his bats at him. Raph caught them in his sai and shoved him off. Casey then kept swinging his bats at Raph, only for Raph to swat them away with his sai every time. Raph then caught one bat in his sai.

"So what's your story?" Raph asked. "Got hit with one too many pucks as a kid,or were you just watching some bad TV and decided to play Clint Eastwood?"

Casey just ignored this as he swung the other bat at his head, knocking him to the ground.

"I got my reasons for doing what I do." Casey told him. "And they got nothin to do with you."

Casey then tried bringing his bats down on Raph, but Raph quickly brought his sai up to block them. Raph then kicked Casey in the chest and it sent him flying to the ground. Casey slowly got up and noticed his golf club had fallen out of his bag. He discreetly picked it up as Raph walked towards him.

"Ready to calm down now?" Raph asked.

Casey replied by striking Raph in the gut with the blunt end of the club, causing him to lean over in pain as Casey stood up.

"You sneaky little son of a-"Raph started to chew out.

"Fore!" Casey called out swinging the club and sending Raph flying into some garbage.

Casey smirked at his little accomplishment.

"I'll never call golf a dull game again." he remarked collecting his sports equipment and running off.

Raph pulled himself out of the garbage furious. He then bolted after Casey, not yet finished with this little confrontation.

...

In the dojo, Splinter was meditating when April walked in.

"Uh… Master Splinter?" she spoke.

Splinter broke from his trance to see April standing in the entrance.

"Ah April." He greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could teach me some ninja moves?" she asked sitting across from him. "For… self-defense reasons."

"Hmm… what brought this on?" Splinter asked.

"Well…" she began, "I've been thinking about what happened last time with the Shredder. How you guys were put in danger because of me."

"It was not your fault April." Splinter reassured.

"Still I would like to be able to defend myself next time someone like them wants to use me to get to you." She replied. "Maybe even help you guys out."

"The desire to defend one's self and others." Splinter noted. "Truly the noblest of reasons."

"So you'll teach me some moves?" April asked.

"I can do much more than that if you like." Splinter answered.

"More how?" April questioned.

"How would you like me to train you as a kunoichi?" Splinter offered. "A female ninja?"

April was surprised by this offer, but it sounded very inviting.

"I… yeah." She answered. "That be amazing."

"Excellent." Splinter said. "We will start your training tomorrow."

"Thank you Master Splinter." April said gratefully.

...

Leo was sitting under a grate waiting for the pizza to arrive when Donnie came walking up to him.

"Hey." Donnie greeted.

"Hey." Leo greeted back.

"Any sign of your pizza guy?" Donnie asked.

"Nope," Leo answered. "I'm giving him another 30 seconds."

Donnie just nodded in reply.

"You sure this little plan of yours is gonna work?" Donnie asked.

"Positive." Leo responded.

"Alright." Donnie relented. "You keep at this… nonsensical idea of yours, I'm going to go work on the Battle Shells weapon systems."

"You do that." Leo replied as Donnie walked off.

Leo then took out his shell cell to check the time.

"Well times up," Leo noted. "Three bucks off."

...

Raph kept running through the alley ways until he saw Casey across the street heading into Central Park.

"Man I'll never get over there unnoticed." Raph let out.

He then saw a trench coat laying into the alley. He then had a crazy idea.

"Could be crazy…" Raph thought out loud. "… aw the heck with it."

Raph then picked up the trench coat and put it on, keeping the collar up to try and hide his face. He then bolted across the street. As a cab pulled up, Raph rolled over the hood before continuing to run to the park.

"What was that?" the passenger asked.

"Looked sorta like a big turtle in a trench coat." The driver remarked. "You're going to Luquardio right?

...

In the park, Casey continued running as Raph came up, ditching the trench coat.

"Hey you!" Raph yelled leaping into the air towards Casey and kicking him in the back. "We ain't done yet."

Casey rolled on the ground a bit before getting back up to his feet.

"You wanna keep playing pal?" Casey asked before pulling out a cricket bat. "Then I got a new game for you to play. Cricket."

"Cricket?" Raph asked. "No one understands cricket. You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket."

"I'll teach you." Casey said hitting Raph with the bat, sending him into a tree. "Six runs."

Raph growled in anger at the constant beatings Casey was dealing him.

"That's it!" Raph yelled.

He then took out a sai and tossed it at the cricket bat, knocking it out of Casey's hands. He then ran at Casey and kicked him in the chest, knocking him into a tree. Raph then quickly took out his other sai and threw it at the shoulder strap on his bag pinning him. Raph then came up to him and pulled his mask off and pulled back his arm ready to punch. He stopped when he saw his face and the anger behind it. His breathing slowed down and he dropped the mask.

"Wh-what am I doing?" he asked himself.

He then pulled the sai away, releasing Casey and offered him a hand up.

"We're on the same side here." Raph told him as he took his hand. "We shouldn't be fighting. We just need to get a hold of ourselves. Chill."

Casey then got to his feet and picked up his mask.

"Right." Casey remarked.

"Look, I'm no fan of the Purple Dragons either." Raph admitted. "I'll help you take them down, but we gotta show restraint."

"Save it." Casey replied. "You got no idea why I do what I do."

"Try me." Raph challenged.

Casey let out a deep sigh and relented.

"When I was a kid, my dad owned this junk shop. It wasn't much, but it was something he was proud to call his own. One day, some punks came to the store. They were Purple Dragons. They wanted protection money. And when he refused to pay up, they torched the store… with him inside. I tried to fight them, but they just shoved me aside like I was nothing."

"Whoa…" Raph let out.

"There was nothing I could do then." Casey finished. "But I'm making up for that now!"

"Hey I get it really." Raph reassured. "But what if you grab the wrong guy? What if you go too far? What's to stop you from ending up just like them?"

Casey was taken aback by Raph questions.

"I… I never thought about that before." Casey admitted.

"I can imagine." Raph replied. "My… my father told me that, a true warrior finds balance in all things."

"Balance huh?" Casey asked.

"Well," Raph started to answer. "As balanced as a couple of hot headed nut jobs like us can get."

"Who you calling nut job, weirdo?" Casey asked smugly.

"Hey, I'm not the one running around in a hockey mask." Raph remarked.

"I gotta protect my image." Casey told him. "I'm saving this face for Hollywood."

"Yeah, you'd be lucky to get a part on a CW show." Raph joked.

"Funny." Casey said, nudging him on the shoulder.

The two chuckled a bit.

"My name is Raphael." Raph introduced.

"Names Casey." Casey replied holding out his hand. "Casey Jones."

"Yeah, I think I remember from earlier." Raph responded taking his hand and shaking it.

...

A pizza delivery man drove up to a street corner on a moped. He then stopped and picked up the pizza on the back and walked onto the sidewalk.

"Ok 122," The driver said to himself looking at the buildings street numbers. "122 and an eight. 122 and an eight?"

He kept looking for the right street number but was unsuccessful.

"Terrific." The driver lamented. "Where the heck is 122 and an eight?"

"You're standing on it dude." Leo called out from beneath the grate the driver was standing on.

The driver backed away in shock.

"Uh… sewer workers." Leo told him. "Putting in some long hours.

"Well…" the driver started to respond, "How am I supposed to get this down there?"

"Just slide it down." Leo told him.

The driver agreed and slid the pizza down the grate. Leo grabbed it and handed up the money to the driver. He took it and was about to take off when he checked the amount.

"Hey." He called out. "You're three dollars short!"

"You're two minutes late." Leo responded.

"I couldn't find the place." The driver explained.

"Wise men say, forgiveness is divine but never pay full price for late pizza." Leo replied.

The driver just groaned at this and went back to his moped.

"I gotta get a new route." He told himself.

...

Back in the lair, Donnie was checking on the still unconscious Mikey when Leo came in with the pizza.

"Pizza's here." Leo announced taking out a slice.

"So what now?" Donnie asked.

"Just watch." Leo told him.

Leo then held the slice up to Mikey's nose. He sniffed the slice and started to sit up happily moaning.

"Mmmm… Pizza..." He said opening his eyes.

Mikey then took the pizza and started eating it.

"Works every time." Leo remarked.

"Huh." Donnie said astonished. "Amazing. Wonder why I didn't think of that."

"How ya doing Mikey?" Leo asked.

"Doing better." Mikey replied. "What hit me though?"

"A raging Raphael." Donnie answered.

"Someone mention my name?"

The others turned to see Raph walking into the lair.

"Hey Raph." Leo greeted. "You cooled off now?"

"Oh yeah." Raph answered.

"So you're not gonna hit me again?" Mikey asked.

"No Mikey I'm not." Raph told him walking up to him. "Mikey I… I wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone off like that."

This caught everyone off guard.

"Ok…" Leo said. "Who are you and what have you done with Raphael?"

"Let's just say I had a chance to think about how I've been acting." Raph told him.

"Hey it's cool Raph." Mikey told him standing up and wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

"Well since you and the pizza are here," Donnie said. "You can tell us over dinner."

"Now you're speaking my language." Mikey said.

"And what language is that?" Raph asked nudging him. "Nitwit?"

"Raphael." Splinter called out. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

Raph turned to Splinter before turning back to his brothers.

"You guys go ahead," he told them. "I'll be right with you."

Raph then walked into the dojo where Splinter was waiting for him.

"It would seem you have gained a greater understanding of your actions in the time you have been gone." Splinter observed.

"Yeah," Raph answered. "I, uh, met someone with a similar mentality."

"Then you know how destructive your anger can be." Splinter responded.

"Yeah." Raph replied.

"Do you know what my Master Yoshi's first rule was?" Splinter asked.

Raph scratched his head for a bit.

"If someone's doing something wrong you kick his butt?" Raph guessed.

"No." Splinter answered. "But it was up there."

This earned a chuckle from Splinter before he turned serious.

"My Master Yoshi's first rule was; possess the right thinking." Splinter told him. "A rule essential to the mentality of a true ninja, though it is also the easiest to break."

"Even by you?" Raph asked.

"Even me." Splinter told him. "You recall that Oroku Saki confronted me upon learning my master's connection to his brother's death."

"Yeah so?" Raph asked.

"When he came to me, he said many things about me and my master." Splinter continued. "Many hurtful things. It finally came to a point where I could not let these words go unchallenged… so I struck him. That was the final act that severed our brotherhood. That one lapse in anger set my brother in arms down the path to become the Shredder."

"Whoa." Raph let out.

"This is why I caution you about your anger." Splinter resumed. "Turned inward, it is an unconquerable enemy. You have always been unique among your brothers, for you

choose to face this enemy alone."

Splinter put his hand on Raph's shoulder.

"But in your fight, do not forget them, and do not forget me."

"Don't worry Master." Raph said standing up. "I won't."

Raph and Splinter bowed to each other before Raph walked out of the dojo to join his brothers.

"Hey! You jokers better not have eaten all the pizza!" Raph yelled, earning a smile from Splinter.


	12. Metalhead

_My name is Donatello. Ever heard the story of Frankenstein? A lot of people think Frankenstein was the monster that attacked people. This is a common misconception since Frankenstein is the name of the scientist that created him._

 _Why am I bringing this up? Because right now, due to my invention of a robotic turtle, and the fact that it's currently trying to attack my brothers, with every fighting move and style 'they' know, I'm really starting to understand how he felt creating a monster._

 _..._

The turtles were trained handle all kinds of dangers. Though they didn't count on it, endless blaster fire from several Kraang droids counted. They had been investigating a potential Kraang warehouse to see if they're alien adversaries were hiding out there. Unfortunately, they got more than they bargained for.

"Keep moving!" Leo ordered. "Don't let them surround you! Failure is not an option!"

"Well technically failure is always an option." Donnie corrected. "To remove failure from any outcome is an illogical impossibility in of itself and-"

"Hey! You know what else is an option?" Raph interrupted. "Slapping you!"

Donnie just ignored him as he and Raph dispersed to avoid oncoming Kraang fire. Don drew his staff as he came up to one Kraang and hit it. This only sent it skidding back a bit before stabilizing himself and aiming his weapon at him. Before Donnie could react, Raph tackled the Kraang and stabbed it in the face taking it out.

"Nice work." Raph replied sarcastically. "When we're done here there's a marching band that needs a majorette."

Donnie just ignored Raph as he ran off. Leo continued swerving around Kraang blaster fire before leaping towards the Kraang slicing it to pieces with his swords. Raph continued running from the blaster fire as well. He then ran up a steel beam and flipped onto a Kraang stabbing him in the shoulders with his sai causing it to fall to the ground. Mikey continued flipping over the blaster fire. He then sprung into a Kraang knocking it to the ground.

"Kraang," one Kraang droid told another. "The present is being the optimum time to test the energy cannon that requires testing by Kraang."

"Affirmative." The other Kraang replied.

The two Kraang then pulled back two large doors and a large tank like vehicle came rolling out. The turtles took note of this as they stopped taking down Kraang droids.

"Everyone stand your ground!" Leo ordered as they all took a fighting stance.

The Kraang in the energy cannon charged up the weapon and prepared to fire.

"On second thought, run!" Leo yelled.

The Kraang fired the weapon at them and the turtles scattered. The Kraang continued blasting at them with the cannon. The only barely were able to dodge the blasts. One blast actually connected with Donnie's staff vaporizing half of it.

"Oh come on!" he yelled. "Not again!"

Donnie quickly got back into the moment to avoid another blast and hide behind some boxes. Leo landed on top some other boxes and saw a forklift facing the cannon. He then got an idea that just might work. Leo then leapt onto the forklift and activated it. The forklift then revved towards the cannon. Leo jumped off it just as it made contact and pushed the cannon and several Kraang into a fall. The cannon started to spark with electricity as the Kraang crawled out of their robot bodies just before it blew. The turtles came out of their cover from behind some boxes to see the aftermath.

"Nice." Mikey commented. "Though that was a massive wasted opportunity for a Mystery Science Theatre joke."

Raph just smacked Mikey on the head in response.

"Let's go." Leo told them.

Raph and Mikey started to leave when Leo noticed Donnie looking over his weapon.

"Hey," Leo said walking over to him. "Don't sweat it. I'm sure Splinter will get you another staff."

"I know." Donnie replied. "But if I'm going to fight advanced alien technology, I'm going to need something more than a wooden stick."

"Well it will probably take a lot of work to upgrade it." Leo told him

Donnie the got an idea and turned to one of the destroyed Kraang droid bodies,

"Or the right materials." Donnie stated.

...

The turtles made their way back to the lair. Leo and Donnie were carrying the broken Kraang droid in tow.

"So remind me why you two are carrying that thing back home with us?" Raph asked.

"Well don't you want to know how these things work?" Donnie responded.

"I already do." Raph replied. "You hit em until the brainy toy surprise pops out."

"That's your problem Raph," Donnie said as Mikey pulled away a manhole cover. "You don't think these things through."

Donnie then proceeded to drop the Kraang body down the sewer, but it got stuck at the opening.

"Is that supposed to fit?" Raph asked looking at Donnie.

Donnie looked at the Kraang droid for a moment before trying to kick the body down the sewer. The others just looked at him with skepticism.

...

Back at the lair, Donnie was looking over the Kraang body in the living room while everyone else was doing various things. While he was pulling out a certain part from inside it, April walked in the entrance.

"Hey April." Donnie greeted.

"Hey Donnie." April greeted back. "What's with the Kraang body?"

"I salvaged it from our last fight with the Kraang." Donnie answered. "It's got technology light years ahead of anything mankind has. I mean, do you know what this is?"

He held up the part he pulled out for April to see.

"Uh… no?" April replied.

"Neither do I!" Donnie responded. "But I can't wait to find out!"

At that moment, Splinter entered the room with a new staff for Donnie. Raph took note of this while he was doing push-ups with his sai.

"Hey look Mikey," Raph pointed out. "Donnie got a new stick to break."

Mikey chuckled at that little remark as Splinter tried to give Donnie the staff.

"With all due respect Sensei, I can't keep fighting advanced alien technology with six foot staff." Donnie said. "I was… kinda hoping I could upgrade my weapon.

"Hmm a seven foot staff?" Splinter pondered. "Interesting."

"I meant using the Kraang technology." Donnie clarified.

"Ah a solar powered staff." Splinter jested.

"I'm serious Sensei." Donnie said irritated.

"I know," Splinter responded. "And yes you may upgrade your weapon."

"Oh come on that's totally unfair!" Donnie complained. "You can't just-"

Donnie then stopped when he realized what he had actually said.

"Wait, did you say yes?"

"Really Sensei?" Leo asked looking up from polishing his swords. "I didn't think you approved of flashy gadgets and modern technology?"

"Not so much personally," Splinter admitted. "But ninjas have improved their arsenal for generations. We are masters of adaptation. And the Bo Staff itself is ideal for adaptation. Especially in the hands of one such as yourself Donatello."

"Aw that is great!" Donnie exclaimed. "Because with this technology, there's nothing I can't build. But what to make? Electric sai? Multi-shot shrunken? Plasma swords?"

"Ooh having lightsabers would be awesome!" Mikey commented.

"But remember, technology is a means not an end." Splinter instructed. "It is you who must prevail in battle, not your weapon."

"It's not the weapon it's the ninja who wields it." Donnie reported picking up the Kraang droid. "Don't worry Sensei I remember."

"Good." Splinter said. "I do not wish you to go to work thinking combat as a video game."

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Donnie yelled going to his lap while muttering under his breath. "Combat as a video game?"

"What are you gonna do?" April asked walking up to Splinter.

"Hope that my next student is more open to instruction." Splinter told her. "Shall we?"

April bowed in response as the two made their way to the dojo.

...

Later that day, Leo was sitting in front of the TV watching yet another episode of Space Heroes. In this episode, Captain Ryan, Mr. Crankshaw, and Dr. Mindstrom were investigating a mysterious planet.

 _"What do you make of this Dr. Mindstrom?"_ Captain Ryan asked.

 _"This is most troubling Captain."_ Mindstrom reported looking at his scanner. _"Sensors indicate-"_

Before he could continue, some weird creature attached itself to Mindstrom's head, seemingly affecting his mind.

 _"Everything is fine."_ Mindstrom reported in an almost robotic voice.

 _"Great galaxies!"_ Captain Ryan exclaimed. _"Dr. Mindstrom has been taken over by the cortex-icons!"_

Leo gasped at this realization.

 _"What do we do?"_ Crankshaw asked in a panic. _"What do we-?!"_

Crankshaw was quickly silenced by a slap from Ryan.

 _"There's only one thing to do."_ Ryan declared. _"Dr. Mindstrom must be destroyed!"_

Leo watched in awe as Captain Ryan shot at the mind controlled Dr. Mindstrom.

"What a hero." Leo let out.

"Kinda a jerk move to take out one of his own crew don't ya thing?" Mikey asked.

"It was to protect the crew." Leo defended. "Besides, he comes back to life in one of the movies."

"Gentlemen," Donnie announced earning the attention of everyone. "It is my great honor to introduce you to… my new weapon."

Donnie then pulled out a metal staff and spun it around to show it off to the others. They just looked at him surprised.

"That's your new weapon Donnie?" Leo asked. "Another staff?"

"Oh not just another staff." Donnie corrected. "This one is constructed of the metal from the Kraang exoskeleton."

He then twisted the staff a bit and the ends detracted.

"Adjustable size for easy storage,"

He then extended it again and pressed a button to shoot out a steel blade on one end.

"A steel blade to slice at Kraang droids,"

He then retracted the blade.

"And my personal favorite…"

He then spun the staff around and put one end on a slice of pizza and pressed another button. Electricity then surged from the staff heating the pizza.

"Electrical setting! Packing one hundred thousand volts of electricity!"

As Donnie put his staff away, Mikey grabbed the pizza and took a bite.

"Mmm." He let out. "Nice."

"Nice job Donnie." Leo complimented. "But, is this really what you've spent the past few hours working on?"

"Not really." Donnie admitted. "This was something I whipped up in fifteen minutes. The rest of the time I was working on something else based on what Splinter said before about combat not being a video game. While I don't plan on turning 'combat' into a video game, I thought I could turn training into a video game."

"That sounds awesome!" Mikey announced. "I am awesome at video games."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind." Donnie corrected. "Let me show you."

Donnie then pressed a few buttons on a remote he had on his wrist. Just then, some metallic footsteps emanated from Donnie's lab. The others turned in that direction in shock as a short metal turtle with a yellow mask walked out.

"Whoa." Mikey let out.

"What is that?" Leo asked.

"This is what is going to take our Ninjitsu to a whole new level." Donnie explained. "I call it… the turtle-bot 3000!"

Mikey looked skeptical.

"Turtle-bot?" Mikey asked. "No offense Donnie, but that's the lamest name you could have for this thing."

Donnie just looked irritated at Mikey.

"Fine Dr. Namenstein, what would you call it?" Donnie asked.

Mikey looked over the robot for a bit from every angle. He then knocked on the robots head before he came up with an idea.

"Ooh let's call it Metalhead!"

"Metalhead?" Donnie questioned.

"Yeah, cause it's got a head, and it's made of-" Mikey exclaimed.

"We get it." Leo interrupted irritated. "So how exactly is this thing supposed to help us train better."

"Well it has a special AI processor that, with a little tinkering from myself, should replicate fighting styles of ourselves and our enemies. That way, we can be prepared for whatever the bad guys throw at us."

"Impressive." Leo admitted. "But it seems kinda overkill don't ya think?"

"Not really." Donnie countered. "It's right in line with being a ninja. We adapt."

"Does that thing even work?" Mikey asked.

"How about we find out." Donnie offered. "Come on! Give it all you got!"

"You sure Don?" Leo asked. "I don't want to break your new toy."

"I do." Raph remarked shoving Leo aside.

Donnie stepped aside and pressed a few buttons on his wrist remote. Metalhead then readied itself as Raph drew his sai ready to fight. Raph then charged at the robot and leapt into the air at it. Raph aimed his sai at it as he descended towards it. Metalhead then caught the sai in its hands and slammed him into the ground. Over and over and over again. Until it finally threw him into a wall.

Donnie came towards Metalhead swinging his staff at it. Metalhead just grabbed the staff and spun Donnie around continuously. It finally let go and sent him flying into a wall. As he slid down to the ground, he saw Metalhead giving him a thumbs up, only for it to give him a thumbs down, much to his annoyance.

Leo and Mikey came on either side of Metalhead and unleashed a series of strikes on Metalhead. None of which seemed to leave a mark. Metalhead then grabbed both their weapons and slammed them together, causing Leo and Mikey to slam together. It then stepped on Leo's foot, causing him to cry out in pain, before it kicked him into Raph. Metalhead then turned to Mikey and launched its hand at him, latching onto his face and rocketing around the room.

"Let me off!" Mikey yelled. "Let me off!"

Donnie quickly pressed a few buttons on his remote and Metalhead's fist dropped Mikey and returned to his body.

"Ok a bit of a rough start," Donnie admitted. "But overall I'd say a successful test run."

"One would say that." Leo remarked rubbing his head.

"You have indeed created an impressive tool Donatello." Splinter commended entering the room.

"Thanks Sensei." Donnie replied. "With this bad boy, we should be ready to handle anything."

"I would not put so much faith in a machine Donatello." Splinter cautioned. "While it can help in some ways, it is how you react to the unexpected that truly determines your skills."

"But that's the thing," Donnie spoke. "With this little guy, there's nothing we won't see coming. With that being said, I was wondering if I could take Metalhead out for a spin tonight. To try and iron out the bugs."

"Alright then." Splinter allowed.

"That's totally unfair! You can't just-" Donnie started to complain before he realized Splinters words again. "Wait what?"

"You have created this new device." Splinter explained. "We must see how well it works."

"Well that's great!" Donnie exclaimed. "Thanks Sensei."

"But this is a test only." Splinter warned. "Do not take it into combat."

"Of course." Donnie replied as Splinter left the room.

"You're gonna take it into combat aren't ya?" Raph asked.

"Totally!" Donnie exclaimed.

As they were about to head out, some kind of beeping resonated from a bag April left on the sofa. April noticed it too as she came out of the dojo rubbing her arm.

"Hey April," Mikey called out. "Your bags beeping."

"Must be my computer." April deduced picking up the bag and taking her computer out. "I set up this message board for unusual sightings around New York. I thought it could help us find new Intel about the Kraang. Must've gotten a hit."

April looked on the computer and saw a video of a gas explosion. The five of them looked at and saw something in the lower right corner.

"Hey look down there." Donnie pointed out.

April zoomed in on that corner and the thing they saw was revealed to be a Kraang droid.

"Kraang." Raph noted.

"Alright, we'll check it out." Leo told her.  
…

The turtles made their way across the roofs towards the warehouse from the video. They finally reached a roof across the warehouse. Metalhead came up close behind, with every step it took resulted in a loud metal clanking. It finally stopped and let out steam from its head loudly. Leo just shook his head in annoyance.

"Too loud?" Donnie asked noting Leo's face.

"Loud?" Leo asked mockingly. "Not at all. It's the pinnacle of stealth."

"Yeah, I don't think they heard ya over in Jersey." Mikey added saying the last word in a Jersey accent.

"Ok so it's not exactly agile," Donnie admitted. "But that's what these tests are for."

Leo just shook his head again.

"Come on guys." Leo spoke. "Let's check this place out. Donnie, leave your toy here."

"What?" Donnie questioned.

"It's too clunky." Leo told him. "It'll give away our position in ten seconds."

Donnie stood speechless for a moment.

"Fine." Donnie relented.

"Let's move!" Leo ordered.

The turtles then made their way into the warehouse.

Inside the warehouse, the turtles stuck to the rafters as two Kraang came up to each other.

"Is that which is known as the experiment of Kraang ready for the commencing of that which is known as the commencing of the experiment of Kraang?" one Kraang asked.

"The unstable mutagen will soon be dumped in to that which is known as the water supply." The second Kraang answered.

"The mutation of the city that is known as New York City will be ideal for perfection the mutagen that requires perfecting." The first Kraang added.

Up above, the turtles couldn't believe what they heard.

"The water supply?" Raph let out.

"If they do that the whole city will be a disaster area!" Leo declared.

"There will be mutants everywhere." Donnie added.

"On the upside, just think of all the friends we'll make." Mikey added happily.

The others just looked at him with annoyed faces.

"Well excuse me for being a glass half full kind of guy." Mikey responded.

"We got to stop them." Leo stated. "Ready to destroy some droids?"

"Bash some bots." Raph added.

"Annihilate some aliens." Donnie continued.

"Clean some closets." Mikey threw out, earning more annoyed looks from the others. "I meant to say crush some Kraang?"

The others just dismissed it as Leo and Donnie jumped to the ground. Leo sliced one Kraang to pieces and Donnie used the Taser function of his staff to electrocute the other. Two other Kraang droids came up and aimed their blasters at them. Leo and Don just smiled.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey yelled as he and Raph landed on the two Kraang.

While Raph just walked away, Mikey kept wailing on them. Eventually Raph came and pulled Mikey away from them as Mikey got a few more kicks in.  
The turtles continued to stealth fully make their way through the warehouse. They then ducked behind some boxes and saw some Kraang carry canisters of mutagen. The turtles were about to move when a Kraang from earlier flopped onto the ground behind them. It then made some kind of noise alerting the other Kraang present before falling to the ground. Before they knew it, the turtles were bombarded with blaster fire. They quickly bolted behind some other boxes to seek cover. The blaster fire however persisted.

"Great." Leo lamented. "We're trapped."

"Or maybe, they're the ones who are trapped." Mikey suggested poking his head out, only to duck when he was fired at. "No it's us. What do we do?"

"I don't know about you guys," Raph started to say. "But I ain't gonna just sit around just to get shot at."

Raph jumped out from behind the boxes ready to fight. The oncoming blaster fire however caused him to do nothing but dodge and jump around before ducking back behind the boxes.

"Of course I'm open to suggestions." Raph admitted nervously.

"I know you were against the idea earlier Leo," Donnie suggested. "But I think now might be the best time to unleash our secret weapon."

"Hey be my guest." Leo allowed. "The stealth portion of our mission is officially over."

Donnie nodded and pressed several buttons on his wrist remote. Within moments, Metalhead crashed through the roof on top of three Kraang droids. As he landed though, his arms were in the air in an awkward position.

"What's up with his arms?" Leo asked.

"Oops," Donnie noted. "One moment."

Donnie pressed more buttons and readjusted it so Metalhead's hands were on his hips striking a heroic pose. The Kraang then unleashed endless amounts of blaster fire on the robot. But it just stood there unphased. Finally the Kraang stopped firing in surprise that their weapons were ineffective. Metalhead's hand then retracted to reveal a laser cannon, which it then fired at the Kraang.

"I can't believe we're getting our shells saved by a toaster." Raph lamented.

"Hey it could be worse Raph." Mikey tried to reassure.

As Metalhead kept firing, it also launched one of its fists at the Kraang, knocking them to the ground one by one. As one Kraang was knocked to the ground, it took note of the machine that was decimating him and his fellow Kraang.

"The thing that does damage to Kraang, use to do damage for Kraang." The Kraang observed.

The Kraang then exited from its metal body as Metalhead continued shooting at the Kraang. The turtles then quickly ducked as some of the blaster fire came in their direction.

"Hey!" Leo called out. "Watch the friendly fire!"

"Sorry Leo." Donnie apologized redirecting Metalhead.

As Metalhead continued firing, some his lasers hit some propane tanks, causing them to explode. The shockwave shot the turtles back, as well as sending Metalhead into a wall breaking the small antenna on top of his head. As the turtles got up, Donnie tried to reactivate Metalhead to no avail.

"Oh no." Donnie let out.

"What?" Raph asked begrudgingly.

"I lost the control signal." Donnie answered looking over to Metalhead and see a Kraang climb onto it. "What's that Kraang doing?"

The Kraang then climbed on top of Metalhead's head and wrapped its tentacles around it. Electricity surged from the robot onto the Kraang. As the Kraang closed its eyes, Metalhead's turned pink, as if signifying that the Kraang had taken over Metalhead.

"The ones who are called turtles will soon be the one called turtles who are destroyed." The Kraang threatened aiming the laser cannon at them.

"Aw shell." Raph cursed.

"Everybody run!" Donnie yelled.

Metalhead then started firing at them and the turtles scattered in multiple directions. Raph then leapt onto a support beam, bouncing off it towards Metalhead sai pointed at him. Metalhead just stepped aside as Raph rolled to the ground and punched him in the face, sending him flying into some boxes.

"Hey Metalhead!" Mikey called out.

Metalhead turned to see Donnie and Mikey standing in front of him ready to face him.

"It's time to meet your maker!" Mikey declared.

"Uh Mikey that's me." Donnie reminded.

"I know," Mikey said pushing Donnie forward. "Go get em tiger."

Donnie just rolled his eyes and spun his staff ready to fight. He then charged towards Metalhead and struck him with his staff several times. None of his attacks though seemed to be having any effect. Metalhead then just launched his fist at Donnie launching him across the room. Mikey then ran at him.

"You think you're so tough?" Mikey yelled. "Well try this!"

Mikey then kicked him between the legs, only to grab his foot in pain.

"Did you honestly think that would work?" Leo asked walking up to him.

"It was worth a shot." Mikey defended.

Metalhead's fist then came back around and nailed him in the back of the head. Leo then leapt in the air and tried to slice him with his swords. Metalhead, however, just caught them and spun him around before throwing him into Donnie.

"How is this walking junk pile able to keep up with us?" Leo asked.

"I told you I downloaded all our training moves into his processor." Donnie answered. "And that processor is able to react faster than our reflexes."

"Then how do we stop it?" Raph asked.

"I don't know!" Donnie practically yelled.

"Donnie!" Leo yelled.

"Ok let me think." Donnie replied.

He tried thinking of a solution as he looked down and saw one of Raph's sai on the ground. Suddenly an idea popped into his head.

"I have it!" he declared. "Metalhead is programed to counter all our specific fighting styles, including our weapons training. We just need to do something unexpected to trip up its programming."

"Like what?" Leo asked.

"Like switching weapons." Donnie answered picking up Raph's sai as Mikey slid on the ground up to his brothers.

"Switch weapons?" Mikey asked. "I don't know, something about this feels unnatural."

"Worth a shot." Raph admitted handing his other sai to Donnie and walking over to Leo. "Can I borrow these?"

He then took Leo's swords and ran towards Metalhead. He then jumped into the air and kicked Metalhead's chest. As he landed, Metalhead tried to punch him. Raph just rolled under it and used the sword to slice its hand off.

"Hey it's working!" Mikey noted.

"Well Master Splinter did want us to adapt to the unexpected." Leo reminded. "I think this qualifies. Switch weapons!"

With that, Donnie continued to have Raph's sai, Leo took Mikey's nunchucks, and Mikey had Donnie's staff. Leo then ran up to Metalhead and bashed him a few times with the nunchucks. Metalhead grabbed one of the nunchaku and spun Leo around. He quickly let go and as he landed, extended the chain wrapping it around him. Donnie then threw both the sai at Metalhead. One hit him in the back, the other in the head. Metalhead then broke free of the chain as Mikey ran up. He then leapt over Metalhead as he pressed a button on the staff. The end facing him extended the blade inches away from his face. Mikey cried out in surprise.

"Ok…. Wrong button." Mikey noted.

Mikey then retracted the blade as he stuck the other end at Metalhead and pressed another button activating the Taser setting and electrocuting the robot. As Mikey pulled the staff away, the robot fell to the ground and the Kraang got off crawling away disoriented. The other turtles walked up to Mikey impressed.

"Nice shot Mikey." Donnie congratulated.

"Thanks D." Mikey replied handing him his staff back. "Nice call with the weapon swap."

"Yeah you really came through Donnie." Raph admitted taking his sai back. "Except for the part where you built the thing, and the part where it broke, and the part where it almost killed us, and-"

"I get it!" Donnie interrupted.

Leo just shook his head smiling.

"Come on guys," he told them. "Let's go home."

Outside on another rooftop, a man in a trench coat, sunglasses, and blue hair up in a bun watched as the turtles exited the building. Taking note of his, he pulled out a special device from his trench coat and activated it. A red holographic image of a man in the shadows appeared from it.

 _"What is it Guardian?"_ the man asked.

"Sir," the Guardian greeted. "The reports it would seem are true. There are turtle warriors in the city. And they stand against the Kraang."

 _"Fascinating."_ The man marveled. _"But we need to know more. It is still unknown that the enemy of our enemy is our friend."_

"Understood."

Back at the lair, Donnie was working on Metalhead in his lab when Splinter and the other turtles entered.

"You're still messing with that thing Donnie?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, but I've decided to downgrade him to my lab assistant." Donnie answered. "I mean after all, all the processor power can't replace ninja intuition."

"No it cannot Donatello." Splinter agreed. "And it is that intuition that granted you victory tonight."

Donnie smiled at his masters words as Mikey walked over to Metalhead.

"Well at least this guy won't be causing us any trouble." Mikey said patting Metalhead on the head.

Suddenly, Metalhead's fist shot out at Mikey, rocketing him around the lab as the others watched from below.

"It uh… looks like I still have a few more bugs to work out." Donnie noted.

"So it would seem." Splinter agreed.


	13. The Pig and The Rhino

_My name is Michelangelo. You'd think that being a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle would make you pretty unique. Well now a days, there seems to be a lot more mutants and weirdos popping up. Like these two guys. They used to be Purple Dragons, but now, thanks to a little mutagen, they're a giant warthog and rhino. And right now they'd like nothing better than to smash our shells like walnuts._

 _I gotta say, I really miss being one of a kind._

...

In the dojo, Mikey and Donnie were sparring. Mikey kept dealing punches and kicks at Donnie, who was able to counter and block them all. He then caught one punch and flipped Mikey over his shoulder onto the ground.

"Focus Mikey." Donnie told him as he got up. "In combat you got to think several moves ahead. Make him do what you want him to do and lead him into a trap."

"Hey I can't think that far ahead Don." Mikey countered. "I just improvise. Go with the flow, you know?"

"That's not always gonna cut it Mikey." Donnie replied. "What if I did… this?!"

Donnie then tried to punch him. Mikey then back flipped out of the way and swept Donnie's legs knocking him to the ground.

"Hey!" Donnie yelled.

"See, go with the flow." Mikey taunted. "You just can't take the fire out of Dr. Flipenstien."

"I don't even know what that means." Donnie countered getting up.

Just then, Mikey saw Splinter walking out of his room.

"Hey there's Sensei." Mikey pointed out. "We'll ask him."

Donnie nodded and the two ran up to him.

"Sense, which do you think is better?" Donnie asked. "Strategy,"

"Or improvising?" Mikey finished.

"I don't know." Splinter answered.

"But you're a ninja master," Donnie reasoned as Splinter kept walking. "Surely you know that some fighting tactics are better than others."

Splinter stopped to ponder this.

"Well let's find out shall we?" Splinter offered. "Michelangelo, attack me! Now!"

Mikey was surprised but he obeyed and jumped into the air attempting to kick him. Splinter however quickly caught the leg and spun him around before letting go and sending him flying into a wall. Donnie laughed as Mikey slid to the ground.

"Looks like that answers that." Donnie observed.

"You really think so?" Splinter asked.

"Well… yeah." Donnie replied.

"In that case… prepare to defend against saunagi!"

Splinter then tackled Donnie to the ground and put him in an arm lock.

"Ow!" Donnie cried out. "That wasn't saunagi."

"No, but you thought it would be." Splinter told him letting go of his arm.

"No offense Sensei," Mikey said walking over to them. "But what's the point of all this?"

"The point Michelangelo is that you are both right," Splinter started to answer as he exited the room. "And you are both wrong."

Splinter then left, leaving the two turtles with their master's odd little lesson.

"Wow." Mikey marveled. "You now it's sage advice when you're still confused about it afterwards."

Donnie just rolled his eyes at his brother's line of reasoning.

…

Later that night, the turtles and April were out in the Battle Shell, giving the vehicle another test run. Inside, Leo was at the wheel, Raph was in the passenger seat, and Donnie, Mikey, and April were in seats in the back.

"I still don't get how I can be wrong about applying strategy to combat." Donnie lamented.

"Maybe he thinks you think too much." Mikey suggested.

"Or maybe that you don't think enough." Donnie countered.

Mikey just stuck his tongue out in response.

"Don't you think we should do something?" Leo asked Raph.

"No way." Raph replied. "It's usually us that end up in these kinds of fights. It's kinda nice to be on the other side for a change."

"That is true." Leo admitted.

"Besides," April interjected. "I doubt this fight will last forever."

"These kinds of fights never do." Leo agreed.

As they pulled up to an intersection, a white van came up from the right driving along. Leo got a look in the driver's seat and saw a Kraang in a human suit.

"Guys, we got Kraang." Leo informed.

"Then let's take em down." Raph suggested.

Leo nodded and turned the corner after them. As they pursued the van, the back opened revealing three Kraang droids. They then proceeded to blast at the turtles.

"I hope you remembered to install weapons this time." Leo said to Donnie.

"Trust me I did." Donnie reassured.

Donnie then pressed a few buttons at a control console. The front of the bumper opened up and several manhole covers launched out hitting the Kraang droids.

"Nice." Leo admitted. "Got anything to stop their van?"

"As a matter of fact." Donnie replied pressing a few more buttons.

On the roof of the car, a hatch opened up and a homemade missile slowly rose up. It then launched at the Kraang van, exploding on contact. The van swerved for a bit before careening into an alley crashing into a wall.

"Loud, but effective." Leo admitted.

"Where the heck did ya get a missile anyway?" Raph asked.

"You'd be surprised what you can make with PVC piping and some nitroglycerin." Donnie answered

…

A few rooftops away, Karai and Nakumo were taking some forces on patrol when they heard the explosion. They then bolted in that direction to investigate. When they arrived, they saw several Kraang droids climbing out. They were both taken aback by this startling realization.

"Strange creatures indeed." Nakumo observed.

"This city is getting more interesting every day." Karai marveled.

The turtles pulled up in the Battle Shell and got out to duke it out with the Kraang. The Kraang immediately started shooting at them. The turtles effortlessly avoided the laser blasts and started taking out the Kraang. April got out the back and saw something in a heap of trash in the alley.

"Mutagen." April said to herself. "Must've fallen out in the crash."

As she walked over to it, she felt a hand grab her shoulder and throw her to the ground. It was Nakumo, with Karai landing on a trash can nearby.

"Ms. O'Neil." Nakumo greeted. "It is nice to see you again."

"Not really." April replied. "What are you doing here?"

Eying the canister, Karai leapt off the trash can and picked it up.

"Well we were hunting for turtles," Karai answered holding up the canister. "But I think this will be good too."

April was shocked by this new development.

"You don't want to mess with that stuff." April warned. "It's dangerous."

"Well now I really want it." Karai said smiling.

"Sorry to cut our visit short," Nakumo interrupted. "But we must be going. Foot ninja!"

Just then, five Foot ninja dropped down circling April.

"Finish this."

With that, Nakumo and Karai fled as the Foot ninja drew their swords and moved closer to April.

"Ok… I'm warning you guys." She tried to threaten striking a fighting stance. "I've been training with Master Splinter."

The ninja ignored her threats as they moved in closer.

"Hey fellas!" a voice called out from the edge of the alley.

The ninja turned to see Casey Jones armed with a hockey stick standing there as if he were ready to fight.

"How about picking on someone your own size?" he challenged.

The ninja then all charged at him much to the surprise of April. Casey then slapped one away with his stick as he came up. Casey then blocked the sword strike of another ninja and then knocked him away as well. He then saw a garbage can lid on the ground and hit it like a hockey puck at a third ninja, knocking him out. Two more struck his stick at the same time. He then shoved them off and struck one in the gut before hitting the other in the head. The other one then got up and was about to strike Casey with his sword, but was hit on the head with a garbage can lid by April. Casey turned around to see April holding the lid.

"Uh," he said surprised. "Thanks."

"Uh… right back at ya." April replied dropping the lid.

"Don't mention it." Casey said holding up his hockey stick.

Just then a shuriken struck the hockey stick, much to Casey surprise. He and April turned to see the turtles coming up to them.

"Get away from her!" Donnie yelled leaping in front of Casey staff drawn.

"Whoa!" Casey exclaimed. "More turtles?"

"Guys wait!" April called out. "It's not what you think."

"Casey?" Raph asked pushing past the others. "Casey! How ya been man?"

"Raph?" Casey asked before lifting up his hockey mask. "Hey man."

The two shook hands much to the surprise of the others.

"You never said you had family in town." Casey said now much more relaxed.

"Guess it never came up." Raph admitted.

"Raph you know this guy?" Leo asked.

"Guys this is Casey." Raph introduced. "The nut c- uh… the guy I told you about."

"Oh yeah." Mikey remembered. "The igilante-vay."

"That's me." Casey confirmed. "So who are these guys Raph?"

"Casey Jones, these are my bros." Raph introduced.

"Allow me to handle the introductions Raphy boy." Mikey chimed in. "Over in purple we have Donatello. A technical genius who is technically a genius."

Donnie did a dramatic turn as if he were on a gameshow.

"Over here we have Leonardo the leader in blue." Mikey continued. "Bold, fearless, silent but deadly."

Leo looked at him irritated.

"In the best way." Mikey reassured. "You already know Raphael. Lethal fighting machine and all around hot head."

"Mikey…" Raph said annoyed.

"And last but certainly not least, me." He concluded. "Michelangelo. I'm essentially a triple threat. Brains, brawn, and a dashing personality."

"Is he always like that?" Casey asked.

"More often than not I'm afraid." Leo admitted.

"And I'm April." April chimed in. "I'm not a turtle, I'm just a friend."

"Uh… yeah." Casey replied nervously. "I kinda gathered."

"Oh right." April said mentally kicking herself.

Rolling his eyes, Donnie noticed the unconscious Foot ninja on the ground.

"What were the Foot doing here?" Donnie asked.

"Not entirely sure," April admitted. "But they got away with a canister of mutagen."

All the turtles gasped at this news.

"What's mutagen?" Casey asked.

"A powerful substance that is capable of rewriting the genetic code of its host creating mutagenic creatures." Donnie explained.

Casey just stared blankly at them, not understanding a word of what he heard.

"Long story short it made us." Raph summarized.

"Oh." Casey replied. "Why didn't you say so?"

"And now it's in the hands of the Shredder." Leo stated.

"Yeah," Mikey agreed. "And there's no telling what he's gonna do with it."

"You mean aside from create a mutant army to destroy us?" Donnie asked.

Mikey just stood there for a moment.

"Yeah aside from that." He finally answered.

"Come on. We better get back to the lair." Leo instructed.

"Right." Donnie replied.

"You coming Casey?" Raph asked, causing Donnie to cringe.

"Sure." Casey replied.

"You sure it's a good idea to show a stranger our secret lair?" Donnie asked.

"I trust him." Raph replied. "Besides, it could be handy to have someone else have access to the lair. You know, for emergencies and stuff."

"Well…" Leo pondered. "Alright. If you vouch for him Raph."

"Great!" Casey let out. "Let's go!"

As he ran towards the Battle Shell, Donnie just groaned before he and the others ran up to him.

…

In the Foot's sky rise headquarters, Shredder entered throne room where Hun, Nakumo, and Karai were waiting for him.

"Nakumo, Karai, what have you report?" Shredder asked.

"We were out on patrol and saw the turtles fighting what looked like men in suits," Karai reported. "But were actually these… squishy brain aliens in robot bodies."

Shredder raised an eyebrow at this. He then walked over to a table in the room and picked up a remote that was on it. He then pressed a button that raised a glass case containing a broken Kraang exoskeleton.

"Were these the robot bodies you saw?" Shredder asked.

"Oh yeah." Karai confirmed.

"Then these are the elusive Kraang we have heard so much about." Nakumo surmised.

"Our knowledge of these creatures is limited." Shredder admitted. "But we do know they possess great technological advances that have proven quite useful to us."

"And here's another one." Karai said tossing the canister to Shredder. "O'Neil called it 'mutagen'."

Shredder looked at the canister interested. He then unscrewed the lid to get a better look at the substance. At that moment, a fly came down and took a drink from the mutagen. Shredder just flicked the fly away, causing it to fall to the ground. As the fly got up, it started to grow twice its size, and sprout teeth. All parties present were taken aback by this.

"Ittaizentai?" Shredder questioned in Japanese.

The fly tried flying towards them, but Hun just punched the thing knocking it to the ground and knocking it out.

"Well it looks like we know the secret of the ooze now." Karai joked.

"This must be what made the turtles what they are." Nakumo hypothesized.

"And what turned Chung Li into the rat he is now." Shredder added as a thought popped into his head. "Imagine if Li had been turned into a more powerful animal."

This got the attention of the others.

"This will help us create an army of mutants." Shredder declared. "One that will wipe out the turtles and bring this city to its knees!"

Shredder then handed the canister to Nakumo.

"Take this to Stockman." Shredder ordered. "Tell him to prepare his laboratory for when the test subjects arrive."

Nakumo bowed in response and left to complete his task. Shredder then turned to Hun and Karai.

"You two come with me." Shredder told them. "We're going to visit the Purple Dragons."

"The Purple Dragons?" Karai asked. "Why?"

Shredder chuckled a bit.

"To collect the test subjects." He answered.

…

The turtles, April, and Casey made it to the warehouse above the lair. As they all got out, Donnie made his way over to a tool cabinet and opened it up to reveal a dumbwaiter system. They all piled in and Donnie began turning a crank lowering them down to the lair. Finally, they reached the ground floor and piled out into the living room.

"Wow nice place here guys." Casey complimented. "When Raph told me you lived in a sewer, I never thought it be this nice."

"Yeah it's not much but we call it home." Raph remarked.

Casey kept looking around until he saw Splinter sitting in the dojo meditating.

"Uh… guys." Casey whispered. "There is a giant rat over there."

The others turned to see Splinter sitting there. Leo was about to explain, but Raph stepped in front of him.

"Yeah we've seen him around." Raph told him. "We know how to get rid of him."

Leo was mouthing the word "no" to the others, but they didn't seem to be paying attention.

"You gotta get down low." Mikey told him.

"Get down low." Casey repeated.

"And go at him with everything you got." Raph added. "Gotta go fast. Gotta go hard!"

"We believe in you Casey Jones." Mikey told him as he got a hockey stick out of his bag. "It's all you."

"Alright." Casey said before taking a few short breathes.

He then charged at Splinter full force.

"Goongala!" He shouted.

As he approached him, Splinter jumped into the air flipping over him. As he descended, he wrapped his tail around Casey's neck, and threw him to the ground. As Casey laid on the ground in pain, Splinter stood over him.

"Giant rat: 1. New guy: 0." he joked.

The whole ordeal earned mad laughter from Donnie, Mikey, and Raph. April just chuckled while Leo shook his head smiling.

"That was great!" Donnie let out.

"We should have guests down here more often." Mikey suggested.

"Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves." Leo began. "But we have other problems to worry about."

"What happened?" Splinter asked turning to face him.

"The Foot got their hands on mutagen." Leo told him.

Splinter let out a breath of concern as he stroked his goatee.

"Mutagen is a dangerous substance." Splinter spoke. "And now even more so if it's in the hands of the Shredder."

"Maybe there's a chance he doesn't know what it is." Mikey suggested.

"And you don't think he'll find out eventually?" Raph asked.

Mikey paused for a moment.

"Right." Mikey finally answered.

"Judging with what we already know about Shredder he'd probably find some lowlifes to test it on before using it on his forces."

"Where would he get guys like that?" Mikey asked.

They all paused for a moment to think.

"The Purple Dragons." Raph finally determined.

"Gotta be." Leo confirmed. "Maybe it's time to call in our 'informant'."

"You got an informant in the Purple Dragons?" Casey asked. "How'd you pull that off?"

"It's… a long story." Leo replied.

…

At Purple Dragon headquarters, the dragons were engaged in various activities. Angel was playing cards with some other dragons while Bebop and Rocksteady were engaged in an arm wrestling match. Just then, the door opened up revealing Hun.

"Look alive boys and girls!" Hun yelled. "The Master has arrived."

Hun then stepped aside to reveal Shredder and Karai entering the room. This surprised everybody there, especially Angel.

"I'm looking for volunteers." Shredder told them.

"Volunteers for what?" a dragon asked.

"I need two of you for an experiment." Shredder clarified.

"Well forget it." The dragon replied.

"Aw come on boys," Karai teased. "Afraid of a little science project?"

"How do we know this won't turn us into freaks?" Rocksteady asked.

"Oh it will." Hun confirmed. "But it will also give you powers undreamed of."

"So what?" another dragon asked.

"Come on. Ultimate power, unparalleled strength," Karai listed off. "No one could stand a chance against you. Who wouldn't want to get in on that?"

"We wouldn't." Bebop answered. "There ain't no way you guys are screwing with my DNA."

"Not even for payback on the four turtles who so recently humiliated you?" Shredder asked.

This got Bebop's attention.

"Wait, you're saying that if we agree to this experiment, we can get another crack at those shell backed freaks?" Bebop asked.

"And have enough strength to finish them once and for all." Shredder answered.

"Well count me in!" Bebop replied.

"Hey if he's in then I'm in." Rocksteady added. "We're tight like that."

"Very well." Shredder allowed.

The other dragons, minus Angel, all ran up offering their services. Shredder however just dismissed them.

"Sorry, but I only need two volunteers." Shredder told them. "Karai, Hun, you two, come. It is time to begin the experiment."

…

"Alright. Thanks."

Donnie hung up his shell cell and turned to the others.

"She said someone dressed in metal armor came by looking for two guys for an experiment." Donnie informed.

"That's gotta be Shredder." Leo deduced.

"He took Bebop and Rocksteady and then left." Donnie concluded.

"Did she say where they were going?" Leo asked.

"No." Donnie replied shaking his head.

"Come on, let's head topside." Leo ordered.

"But we have no idea where they could be." Mikey told him.

"True," Leo admitted. "But if and when those guys get mutated, they're gonna cause some serious damage."

"And we'll be there ready to stop em!" Raph finished.

"Right." Leo confirmed.

"Great!" Casey cheered grabbing his gear. "Let's go!"

"Alright." April let out.

"Whoa there April." Leo said holding his hand out. "We need you to stay here."

"What?" She exclaimed. "Why?"

"One, we don't want you to get hurt if we do come across Bebop and Rocksteady in mutant form." Donnie told her.

"Hey I can take care of myself." April challenged. "And I've been training with Splinter to be a kunoichi."

"For a few weeks." Splinter reminded.

"Besides, we need an ear to the ground for any reports of mass destruction in the city." Donnie added. "It would no doubt be them."

April just sighed in defeat.

"Fair enough." She relented.

With that, the turtles and Casey made their way to the garage. Splinter put his hand on April's shoulder.

"Have patience my friend." Splinter reassured. "You will join them in time."

April smiled in reply.

…

At the abandoned Stock-Tronics building, Stockman was studying a sample of the mutagen under a microscope while Nakumo was standing across the room from him.

"This is truly fascinating." Stockman marveled.

"What is?" Nakumo asked walking over to him.

"The chemical makeup of this 'mutagen' you brought me." Stockman answered. "According to my tests, once a subject has been in contact with the substance, the substance takes the DNA of whatever living creature the subject was last in contact with, and amplifies it."

"Fascinating." Nakumo admitted. "How much does the introducing species take over?"

"Oh a variety of factors would come into play for that." Stockman answered. "Amount of mutagen present, contact time with the creature…"

"And what of Master Shredder's mutants?" Nakumo inquired.

"Ah yes those." Stockman replied reaching over and grabbing two small vials of mutagen. "I have made mutagen doses combined with animal DNA from my lab to create the perfect human animal hybrids."

"You had better Stockman." Shredder threatened as he entered the room with Hun, Karai, Bebop and Rocksteady. "I am running out of ways to punish you for your failures."

"You need not worry Master." Stockman reassured loading the two vials into a two barreled gun. "Once the subjects are injected with this, they will become the ultimate mutant soldiers."

Some clattering noise rang out in the lab, causing the Foot members to see Bebop and Rocksteady messing around with some lab equipment.

"Hey Bebes, do these goggles make me look smarter?" Rocksteady asked.

"Rock, it would take a PHD in everything to make you look smart." Bebop replied.

"Eh you're just jealous." Rocksteady retorted

"There ain't anything to be jealous of." Bebop joked.

"Who are those imbeciles?" Stockman asked irritated.

"Your subjects." Hun answered.

Stockman was taken aback by this realization, but he quickly recovered.

"No matter." Stockman dismissed. "It's strength you desired not intelligence."

"Yes." Shredder confirmed. "Strength enough to slay the turtles. Can you manage this?"

"Watch and be amazed." Stockman replied before shooting the gun at Bebop and Rocksteady.

The two winced at the darts containing the vials pierced their skin and the mutagen coursed through their bodies. As they pulled out the darts, they could already feel something happening. Something changing inside of them. The mutation process had begun.

Bebop started feeling the effects of the mutagen. His body was starting to get bigger. So big that his feet burst through his shoes destroying them, and he had to tear off his shirt just to compensate his larger torso. His skin also seemed to be sprouting hair all over. His ears were pointing out and his face started contorting into a snout with tusks coming out.

"What is happening to us?!" Bebop questioned surprisingly laughing.

"I don't know," Rocksteady replied joyous as well. "But this feels great!"

Rocksteady was also going through a transformation. His hair started falling out as his skin began turning gray. His ears started pointing upward and his nose started contorting out and pointing upward into a horn. His feet and torso also became too big for his shirt and shoes.

Finally, the mutation was complete. Bebop and Rocksteady stood up to get a good look at each other's altered forms. They seemed to be laughing at the results.

"You're a rhinoceros." Bebop pointed out.

"And you're a…" Rocksteady tried to reply. "I don't know what you are."

"Let me look. Let me look." Bebop said going towards a glass wall to see his reflection. "Huh. I'm a little piggy."

"A warthog to be exact." Stockman corrected.

"Are these truly the best DNA samples you had?" Nakumo asked.

"Well most of my DNA samples were destroyed when I was forced to set my mousers to self-destruct." Stockman explained. "But you can't really argue with the results can you?"

"Oh yeah baby!" Bebop yelled. "This feels great!"

He brought his fist down on a table smashing easily.

"I suppose not." Nakumo admitted.

"Hey Bebes," Rocksteady said walking over to Bebop. "I'm getting an idea."

"Oh boy." Bebop replied faking sounding scared.

"No hear me out." Rocksteady insisted. "We're the strong ones here right?"

"Yeah?" Bebop answered.

"And if we're the strongest, shouldn't we be the ones giving the orders?"

"… Yeah."

Bebop and Rocksteady then turned to Shredder and the others.

"Traitors!" Nakumo declared reaching for a sword.

"No!" Shredder yelled stopping him. "I will deal with them myself."

"Oh I'd like to see that." Bebop challenged.

"Yeah!" Rocksteady agreed. "We're two tom hulking mutants! And all you got are those double sized kitchen knives."

Shredder cocked an eyebrow at this.

"In that case…"

Shredder then removed his gauntlets and handed them to Nakumo. This surprised Bebop and Rocksteady as he walked towards them.

"You think yourselves my betters?" Shredder asked placing his hands behind his back. "Prove it. Attack me if you will, but when it is over, you will call me master."

"Oh we'll see about that!" Bebop yelled running at him.

Bebop then threw one punch after another at Shredder, but Shredder was able to back step away and dodge everyone. Shredder then rushed forward and punched Bebop in the stomach. Bebop then went to his knees clutching his stomach in pain. Shredder then took the opportunity to kick Bebop in the head taking him out. This made Rocksteady angry.

"You think you're so tough?!" Rocksteady challenged getting ready to charge. "Maybe you'd like to see a rhino… charge!"

Rocksteady then charged right at Shredder. Shredder crossed his arms as Rocksteady's horn made contact. He then sidestepped and tripped Rocksteady to the ground. As he fell, Shredder spun him around so he would roll right into a recovering Bebop, knocking them both down. Hun and Karai chuckled at this display as Shredder reclaimed his gauntlets and walked over to the fallen mutants.

"I hope I have made my 'point' clear." Shredder inquired extending one of his claws. "Your choices are simple. Either serve me faithfully, or fall by my hand."

Both Bebop and Rocksteady rubbed their heads as they sat up.

"It is hard to argue with such a persuasive sales pitch." Bebop admitted. "The bacons in."

"Me too." Rocksteady added. "Besides, being mutant freaks kinda diminishes alternative employment options."

"Excellent." Shredder said retracting his claw. "Now… go out into the city and have some fun… and bring me the turtles' heads."

"Alright!" Rocksteady yelled as he and Bebop stood up.

"You got it boss." Bebop agreed.

With that, the two mutants made their way to the exit.

"Hey Rock, think we can fit on our old choppers?" Bebop asked.

"I know a fun way to find out!" Rocksteady replied as the two disappeared from view.

"You think it's a good idea to let those two loose on the city like that?" Karai asked walking up to her father.

"I have to agree with Karai on this one." Nakumo admitted. "They may be powerful, but they're also stupid. Not exactly an ideal combination."

"Perhaps," Shredder admitted facing them. "But they will be powerful enough to finish the turtles. Besides, if the mutagen could do this to those two imbeciles…"

Shredder chuckled a bit glancing at the mutagen.

"…Imagine what it can do to our soldiers."

…

Out in the city, the turtles were speeding across the rooftops with Casey not too far behind. They all stopped on a rooftop to decide which direction to go next.

"Wow," Casey marveled. "Whoever said turtles were slow didn't know what they were talking about."

"Well we aim to be greater than the average turtle." Mikey boasted.

"Though I think talking would do that already." Donnie suggested.

"Not the way Mikey does it." Raph joked.

Mikey was about to protest when some kind of explosion rang out across the city. The five of them turned in the direction it was coming from.

"I think it's safe to say Bebop and Rocksteady are taking their new mutant bodies for a test run." Donnie surmised.

"Then I say we put an end to their fun." Leo declared.

"Lead the way boss." Mikey responded.

The five of them made their way to street level to see several store windows smashed and several cars overturned. The turtles and Casey were taken aback by the amount of carnage present. Just then, the sound of motorcycles rang out from the end of the street. The turtles and Casey turned to see two high beams practically blinding them. They turned off to reveal, Bebop, now with a golden nose ring on his snout, and Rocksteady, now wearing some old pilot headgear.

"Whoa." Casey let out.

"Oh boy." Donnie said to himself.

"Well lookie what we have here." Rocksteady mused getting off his chopper. "We come out here looking for the turtles, and not only do we find them but that vigilante nut who's been hounding our boys."

"Yeah. Now we get to settle the score with all you freaks once and for all." Bebop added.

"Dudes, I don't think you have the right to call anyone freaks." Mikey joked.

"Yeah," Raph agreed. "Sorry but 1987 called. It wants its haircut back."

"Still the funny ones huh?" Bebop asked. "Well let's see how funny you are when we bash your heads in!"

With that, Bebop and Rocksteady charged towards the turtles and Casey. Bebop smacked Leo and Mikey off to the side, while Don, Raph, and Casey narrowly avoided Rocksteady.

Mikey quickly got to his feet and spun his chucks around as Bebop came towards him.

"Think you can handle my sweet moves Bebop?" Mikey challenged.

"Oh I think I can beat that." Bebop countered.

He then reached behind him and pulled out a machine gun, causing Mikey to gulp. Bebop then opened fire at Mikey, who kept leaping all over the place to avoid the bullets yelling the whole time. Bebop laughed hysterically as continued to shell out bullets.

"Ha-ha! Bullets beat ninja weapons every time!" Bebop joked.

While he continued shooting, Leo ran up and jumped towards and drew his sword. As he descended, he sliced the barrel of the gun. Bebop looked at the gun surprised.

"You were saying?" Leo asked.

Leo then leapt in the air trying to kick Bebop in the face, but Bebop just grabbed his leg and threw him into a wall. Mikey then leapt on top of Bebop's head and bashed it with his nunchuks. Bebop then grabbed Mikey and threw him at Leo. Leo quickly ducked as Mikey made contact with the wall.

"Ow." Mikey let out as he slid down the wall.

Meanwhile, Rocksteady was trying to pound Raph and Donnie, but they kept leaping out of the way. Finally Rocksteady was able to slam Raph into a wall. As Raph fell to the ground, Rocksteady pulled out his knife and tried bringing it down on him. Raph quickly brought his has up blocking it. As Rocksteady continued pressing down on Raph, Donnie leapt into the air behind him and hit him on the head with his staff, causing him to stumble back and drop the knife. Donnie ran at him ready to strike again, but Rocksteady caught his staff this time and swung him around into Raph. As the two turtles tried to pick themselves up, Rocksteady slowly made his way towards them.

"Goongala!" Casey shouted running up and trying to smack Rocksteady with his hockey stick.

As the stick made contact, it shattered to pieces. Casey looked at the stick in shock as Rocksteady picked Casey up by the golf bag.

"You know bud," Rocksteady said holding Casey up to eye level. "You've been causing the dragons trouble for a long time."

"Yeah." Bebop agreed walking up to him. "I say we should do something about that."

With that, Rocksteady slammed Casey into a wall, creating a crater on the wall. The turtles got up to see the two mutants beating on their friend.

"Aw man." Mikey commented. "They're creaming him. What do we do?"

Raph glanced over at Bebop and Rocksteady's motorcycles, then smirked.

"Come on guys," Raph told them. "I got an idea."

As they ran off, Bebop and Rocksteady were still pounding Casey. He had several bruises at this point and his mask was cracked.

"Is that all ya got?" Casey asked sounding weak. "My grandmother hits harder than you punks."

"Is that so?" Bebop asked.

"Then I guess we'll have to punch harder." Rocksteady joked.

Just then, the sound of revving engine rang out. Bebop and Rocksteady turned to see the turtles on one of the bikes.

"See ya suckers!" Raph yelled as they rode off.

"Hey!" Rocksteady yelled. "They're jacking my ride!"

"Let's get after them!" Bebop added.

The two dropped Casey as they chased after the turtles.

"Yeah you better run." Casey called out before falling on the ground in pain.

…

The turtles continued cruising down the street on the bike with Raph driving.

"Nice call, stealing one of their rides." Leo told Raph.

"If you want to tick off a guy quickly," Raph replied. "Ya mess with his ride."

Mikey looked behind them and instantly become afraid.

"Well you succeeded Raph!" Mikey yelled. "Because they're right on our tails!"

The others looked behind them to see Bebop on the other bike and Rocksteady charging towards them on all fours.

"Faster Raph!" Mikey yelled. "Faster!"

Raph continued to rev the bike as Bebop pulled alongside them. Bebop took a few swipes at him with his fist. They ducked under the swipes as Donnie took out his staff and smacked him with it.

Rocksteady meanwhile stopped near a parked car and picked it up. He then chucked it towards the turtles, who looked up just in time to see it and scream. Raph swerved out of the way to avoid it, only to be greeted another car crashing alongside of them.

"It's raining cars!" Donnie yelled.

"And me without my umbrella." Mikey joked.

Raph kept swerving to avoid the oncoming cars. Just then, one car landed right in front of them. Raph sharply turned to avoid it, causing the bike to go on its side at skidded into a construction site.

The bike finally collided with an exposed support beam, bringing them to an abrupt stop and making all four turtles fall over groaning.

"Smooth landing." Mikey joked, earning a smack on the head from Raph.

Before anything else could be said, they heard the sound of a bike pulling up. They looked and saw Bebop pulling up and getting off his bike as Rocksteady ran up. The turtles then got up and assumed a fighting stance.

"So now what?" Leo asked.

As they all tried to think of a solution, Mikey looked behind them and saw the lower layer of the site littered with support beams. He was then suddenly struck with a thought of inspiration.

"Guys!" Mikey yelled, getting the attention of the others. "I got an idea!"

The others were taken aback by this.

"I'm scared." Donnie admitted.

Bebop and Rocksteady made their way into the under construction building, looking around for their reptilian adversaries.

"Come out ya cold blooded creeps!" Rocksteady yelled.

Just then, a small rock was thrown at Rocksteady's face. He turned to see Mikey waving his arms and blowing raspberries at him.

"Hey Rocksteady!" Mikey yelled. "Anyone ever tell you that Rhinos have the brain the size of a peanut?!"

Rocksteady grunted upon hearing that and charged towards him. Mikey ran at him too, then got to his shell sliding towards him. Mikey knocked Rocksteady off his feet and sent him crashing into several support beams. As Mikey got to his feet and his brothers joined him, they all looked up to see pieces of the upper level breaking apart. The turtles ducked as the floor broke apart and fell on top of them. Bebop walked over to Rocksteady as he got to his feet.

"Looks like we got us some squashed turtles." Bebop noted observing what was left of the turtles.

"Yeah." Rocksteady agreed before noticing something in the rubble.

He went over and picked up a red cloth that turned out to be Raphael's mask.

"And we got a souvenir too." Rocksteady said smiling. "The boss is gonna love this."

"Yup." Bebop concurred. "Let's go show em."

The two mutants left the broken building for their respective bikes and drove off to return to their new master.

Within the rubble in the construction site, some of the pieces started to fall off the pile to reveal the turtles pushing aside the rubble. They were saved by Donnie using his staff to brace against some of the fallen debris. As soon as the other turtles were out of the way, Donnie pulled his staff out of the way and moved as well before the last debris collapsed.

"Nice thinking Mikey." Leo complemented turning to his younger brother.

"Thanks." Mikey replied. "Somehow I knew they would be stupid enough to believe they finished us like that."

"And with the turtle tracker I planted on Rocksteady's ride should lead us to Shredder and the mutagen." Donnie added. "See Mikey, I told you strategy was useful."

"Yeah well…" Mikey admitted.

"I just hope this plan was worth sacrificing my mask for." Raph complained.

"Don't sweat it Raph," Donnie reassured. "If all goes according to plan, you'll get it back."

"Right." Leo confirmed taking out his shell cell. "First we call April to pick up Casey, then we go after Bebop and Rocksteady."

…

Bebop and Rocksteady rode through the city on their bikes until they finally pulled up to Stock-Tronics. They then brought their bikes to a stop and went inside to tell Shredder the good news. As they entered the building, the turtles landed on a building across the street observing their mutant enemies.

"Stock-Tronics?" Donnie asked. "So Stockman works for Shredder too?"

"You know it surprisingly makes sense." Mikey admitted.

"Come on ninjas," Leo commanded. "Let's move in."

…

Inside the lab, the members of the Foot awaited the mutants return. Karai sat on a table sharpening her sword, Stockman was looking over a mutagen sample under a microscope, Hun was just leaning against a wall, and Shredder was speaking to Nakumo.

"As soon as the two return I want our forces ready to receive mutagen injection." Shredder ordered. "I want my mutant army completed within the week."

"As you wish Master." Nakumo acknowledged.

Just then, the door to the lab was thrown open to reveal a joyous Bebop and Rocksteady entering laughing and having their arms around each other's shoulders.

"Oh man that was great!" Bebop exclaimed.

"Yeah," Rocksteady agreed tossing the scrap of cloth onto the table in front of Shredder. "Those shellbacks never stood a chance!"

"We took em on, and we took em down." Bebop added.

"My man." Rocksteady let out as he and Bebop high fived.

Shredder took the cloth in hand and, after looking at it for a bit, proceeded to smack Bebop and Rocksteady in the face, knocking them to the ground.

"You idiots!" Shredder chewed out. "How is it you manage to bring me mere trinkets and yet not the corpse of a single turtle!"

Karai looked up from her chore, leaning forward with a curious look.

"This should be good." Karai commented.

"Well…" Bebop tried to explain. "We… I… they… you…"

"You just told us to waste them." Rocksteady replied.

"The turtles are a dangerous enemy." Shredder informed getting up in their faces. "One I cannot take any chances with. So I will ask you one last time… where are their bodies?!"

"Right here Shred head!" Mikey yelled.

The others turned to see the turtles in the doorway striking a fighting stance.

"And might I say they are beef!" Mikey finished.

"You led them here?!" Shredder yelled.

"Look at it this way Dad," Karai offered, standing up and gripping her sword. "Now you can make sure they stay down this time."

Mikey was the first to charge in, jumping onto the table and kicking Karai away before grabbing Raph's mask.

"I think this belongs to my brother." Mikey said tossing the cloth to Raph.

Raph was quick to catch it and put it back on.

"Thanks bro." Raph replied before leaping towards Hun with the blunt ends of both sai pointed out, hitting him in the face.

The towering man fell with a thus as Raph flipped onto the ground. Raph then back flipped over to him and landed with a body slam on his chest.

Karai tried running over to him but was stopped when Leo landed right in front of her. The two then proceeded to lock blades.

"I owe you big after last time." Leo told her irritated.

"Aw, upset I didn't give you a goodbye kiss?" Karai asked playfully.

Leo grunted in response before shoving her off and continuing to trade blade strikes with her Leo swung high at her head but she was quick to duck it. She then kneed him in the chin before extending her leg and kicking him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Leo slowly looked up as Karai leapt in the air with her sword drawn back. He quickly raised his legs and gave Karai a double kick knocking her into a wall.

Mikey meanwhile, was jumping and dodging around every sword strike Nakumo was dealing out.

"Hold still you little freak!" Nakumo yelled.

"I could do that," Mikey said landing in a handstand before springing off as Nakumo took a swing at him. "But I probably won't."

Nakumo charged at Mikey as he landed on his feet and pulled out a nunchaku. As Nakumo brought the blade down, Mikey blocked it using the chain. Mikey then crossed his hands, wrapping the chain around the blade, and delivered a kick to Nakumo's chest knocking him to the ground. Before Mikey could charge at him, Bebop came and tackled him. They rolled on the ground a bit before Bebop threw Mikey into a wall. Mikey quickly recovered and took out his Nunchucks spinning them. He let out a yell and ran right at him. Bebop simply raised his fist and brought it down on Mikey, causing him to hit the ground with a bounce. As Mikey bounced up, Bebop wrapped his arms around him and started to crush him.

"Now it's time to end this." Bebop declared.

"No..." Mikey pled as he was getting squeezed. "Please… I'm begging you… brush your teeth!"

Donnie meanwhile was dancing around Rocksteady's punches and throwing out some strikes with his staff to the face. Finally, Rocksteady grabbed the staff and used it to slam him into the ground like a sledgehammer. Donnie slowly got up to see Bebop trying to crush Mikey. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"Hey Rocksteady!" Donnie called out. "Looks like your buddies got a new best friend!"

Rocksteady looked up to see what looked like Bebop giving Mikey a giant bear hug.

"What?" Rocksteady exclaimed. "But he's just a turtle."

"True." Donnie admitted. "But why is Mikey getting the hug while you're over here messing with me."

Rocksteady then walked past Donnie towards Bebop.

"Hey what gives?" Rocksteady demanded shoving Bebop causing him to drop Mikey.

"Whatcha do that for?" Bebop asked.

"You said we were best buds."

"We are."

"Then what was your bear hug you were sharing with the turtle?" Rocksteady demanded grabbing his vest.

"I was trying to crack his shell!"

"Uh gentlemen?" Donnie spoke getting their attention.

The two mutants turned to see Donnie just as he tapped them with the taser end of his staff. The two were electrocuted beyond reproach until they finally collapsed. The other turtles came over as Donnie put away his staff.

"Nice one Don." Leo congratulated. "Where'd you come up with that idea?"

"Honestly it just came to me." Donnie admitted.

"See Don, I told you." Mikey jeered. "Improvisation."

"Yeah, yeah." Donnie relented. "I'm just glad the mutation didn't up their IQ's any."

"I wonder if lack of intelligence is a common trait amongst mutants." Shredder posed.

The turtles turned to see their bladed nemesis standing there.

"Give it up Shredder." Leo demanded. "It's over."

"The battle is yours," Shredder admitted. "But the war is far from over. Now while I still have this."

He then held up the mutagen canister, causing the turtles to gasp in fear.

"Hand it over!" Donnie demanded.

"Oh I intend to." Shredder jeered. "Through smaller doses, in future mutants."

Thinking on instinct, Mikey ran towards Shredder, rolled up to him, and kicked the canister out of his hands. Don then pulled out his staff and activated the taser setting before tossing it at the canister. As the staff made contact and broke the glass, the taser ignited the mutagen causing it to explode in midair, making Shredder and his forces to avert their eyes. Once the explosion subsided, the Foot members looked up to see the turtles gone.

…

Back at the lair, Casey was resting on the couch in pain as April took care of him. The turtles meanwhile were telling Splinter about what had happened.

"An interesting tale." Splinter admitted.

"Yeah," Donnie agreed. "And I think Mikey and I figured out what you meant before."

"Oh?" Splinter asked.

"Yeah." Mikey answered. "We were both right and both wrong because both strategy and improvising are right and wrong."

"Quite right." Splinter confirmed. "As a team, each of you must embrace the individual traits of each member. All your skills are valuable and necessary."

"Yeah," Mikey agreed. "Kinda surprised we didn't think of that sooner."

"Yeah." Donnie added rubbing the back of his neck.

Donnie then looked over at the couch to see April propping up a pillow for Casey.

"Ow." Casey let out.

"Sorry." April said.

"It's cool," Casey responded still in pain. "Thanks by the way."

"For what?" April asked curiously.

"Takin care of me and all." Casey answered. "Ya didn't have to ya know."

"Well, it's the least I could do. After all, those two chumps nearly killed you."

"Eh, I've been through worse."

April smirked, brushing a lock of hair from his face, an act that made Donnie's heart churn on sight.

…

Back at Stock-Tronics, Shredder was furious about the loss of his greatest weapon and was taking it out on Stockman.

"How is it you continue to find new ways to fail me?!" Shredder demanded.

"In my defense, it was those creatures who failed to destroy the turtles." Stockman tried to defend.

"And yet I remember you promising that your next scientific creation would bring me the turtles." Shredder recalled. "You have broken that promise."

Shredder then shoved Stockman into Bebop and Rocksteady, who each grabbed one of the doctor's arms.

"Take him away." Shredder ordered.

"You got it boss." Rocksteady replied.

"Sorry Doc." Bebop apologized as they took him away.

"Take your hands off me!" Stockman demanded as they left the lab. "I made you! I am your creator!"

"You're keeping those jokers around?" Karai asked.

"I don't see why you're complaining." Shredder retorted. "You always wanted a pet."

"I'm just saying, you're not usually one to keep those who fail you around."

"I could use them as errand boys." Shredder answered. "Besides we have other problems to worry about."

"Like what?" Hun asked.

"Like the fact that the turtles reacted to the mutants' destruction at an alarming speed." Shredder answered. "And that the only other people who knew about the experiments were your gang."

Hun was taken aback by that.

"Are you saying that the Dragons have a traitor?" Hun asked.

"Indeed." Shredder answered. "And now we must find this spy and destroy them. At any cost."


	14. What a Croc

_In another life I was known as Chung Li, now all that remains is Splinter. In my years of studying Ninjutsu, I have learned that there lies within everyone, a darkness. A power that festers on our negative emotions and destroys everything that gets in its path. There are those who try to suppress the darkness, and those who choose to personify it. But this creature that my sons have found has tried to fight against it. I only hope that it won't consume him, for his sake, and for my sons._

In the lair of the turtles, Donnie was typing away on his computer while Raph was reading a magazine and Leo was watching another episode of Space Heroes.

 _"In all my years, I have never encountered anything as adorable as these trumpets."_ Captain Ryan reported holding a handful of the aforementioned creatures, which looked like pink puff balls with mouths. _"But I'll be darned if they're not the most annoying species in the cosmos."_

The entire ship was full of these creatures, and they kept making this annoying honking sound. It was vastly irritating for everyone on the ship.

 _"We've got to find some humane way to get rid of these things."_ Mr. Crankshaw insisted.

 _"If there's one thing I'm known for,"_ Ryan replied. _"It's my humanity."_

Within moments, all the creatures were stuffed into the escape pods and jettisoned into space. Ryan looked this with a smirk on his face.

"You must be the only person who likes this show." Raph remarked.

"Not true." Leo defended. "There are millions of Spaceniks out there."

Raph just rolled his eyes in response.

"May I have your attention please?!" Mikey announced, getting the attention of the others. "I propose a culinary conundrum. We like pizza. We like milkshakes. But have you

ever wonder what it would be like to combine the two?"

"I don't think I like where this is going." Donnie admitted.

"I present to you," he then pulled out a yellow and red beverage in a blender glass. "The Pizza-Shake!"

If the turtles weren't already green-skinned, they would have turned green at the sight of the sickly beverage. Leo even had to put his hand over his mouth to keep from barfing.

"That looks and smells about as gross as it sounds Mikey." Raph gagged.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad." Mikey argued.

He tipped the blender glass into his mouth, taking a large swig. Instantly, his eyes went wide and he spewed it back into the glass. He coughed and sputtered, beating on his chest as attempted to expel the last of his creation from his mouth. The others just laughed at him in response.

"Okay..." he relented, still gagging, "Maybe it is..."

The others shook their heads in response when a news report interrupted the Space Heroes episode.

 _"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a special bulletin."_ The reporter declared. _"Reports of a large reptilian monster have been coming in from the sewers beneath our city. Is your home safe from this unnatural menace? Find out the full story tonight at 11."_

The turtles were surprised.

"Ummm, any chance they weren't referring to us?" Mikey asked.

"Do any of us look monstrous at all?" Donnie added.

They all turned to Raph.

"What?" he asked.

"Guys, it may not be us they're referring to." Leo interjected. "Remember that albino alligator we discovered when we were kids Raph?"

"You mean the one we swore we would never tell Splinter about?" Raph clarified.

"Yup." Leo confirmed. "This could be the very same one.

"If that's true, then there's a giant ugly reptile loose in the sewers." Mikey panicked. "And for once it's not Raph."

Raph glared at Mikey, raising his hand to smack him. The orange turtle yelped a bit, flinching or cover.

"Save it Raph." Leo told him, causing Raph to lower his hand. "We need to find this creature before it hurts anyone."

"Right." Raph agreed. "Where do we start?"

"Where we found the gator the first time." Leo declared. "The old blocked off tunnel on the south end."

...

The old boards that had been set up to block off the tunnel floated in the murky water of the sewers in splinters, seemed to have been ripped from the wall with a surprising amount of force. The turtles took note of this as they proceeded into the tunnel.

"Umm, can I just say that going towards the giant albino croc is probably amongst the craziest things we've done?" Mikey quipped.

"Considering that in the past few months we've dealt with plant creatures, alien robots, mutant pigs and rhinos, and an army of ninjas," Leo listed off. "That's quite a claim."

As they continued walking, Leo's foot hit something. He looked down to see the severed head of a Kraang droid. He blinked in surprise as he picked it up.

"Whoa." Leo let out.

"Guys." Mikey said pointing in a certain direction.

They looked to see the destroyed parts of other Kraang droids scattered across the sewer floor.

"Wow." Leo let out again. "That's a lot of Kraang droids."

"That's not all." Donnie said picking up an arm studying it. "Look at the claw marks on these things. Whatever attacked them didn't just destroy them, they ripped them apart."

"So what does that mean?" Raph asked.

They then all looked up to see Mikey holding a Kraang head.

"The Kraang are getting their Kraangs handed to them by those that are not Kraang." Mikey said mimicking the speech patterns of the evil aliens.  
Leo and Raph rolled their eyes at this while Donnie face palmed with the Kraang droid arm. Just then a thunderous growl emanated from deeper down the tunnel. The turtles all got into defensive positions looking for the location the growl came from.

"Maybe it was a rat." Mikey suggested.

"Really?" Raph questioned.

"It's a possibility, isn't it?" Mikey countered.

The growl was heard again and the turtles turned to the direction it had come from, only to see a something rising from the water. It was then revealed to be a giant crocodile, one much larger than any normal croc found in the zoo.

"Well lookie here," Raph remarked pulling out a sai. "A handbag with claws."

"Hey hold it," Mikey protested. "Maybe it's a friendly reptilian monster."

The croc let out a monstrous roar before charging at the turtles, causing them to scatter.

"Nope." Leo reported. "He's playing into the stereotype."

The creature tried slamming his fist down on Leo, but he was quick enough to leap out of the way. Raph leapt onto the creature's back and wrapped his arms around his neck. It let out another loud growl, bucking and shaking its head to try and dislodge the red turtle. It finally reached its arms back grabbing him and slamming him into the ground. Donnie leapt towards him staff at the ready, but the creature just grabbed him by the face and shook him in the air. Mikey then ran up and smacked the creature several times with his Nunchucks.

"Let my brother go you Kraang chomping freak!" Mikey demanded.

Something about Mikey's choice of words seem to set the creature off, because it then appeared angrier than before.

"Kraang!" the croc yelled throwing Donnie into Mikey.

Mikey let out a yelp before his brother came crashing into him.

"Is it just me, or did that thing just yell 'Kraang'." Leo asked.

"It must have some low level intelligence." Donnie surmised.

"Mikey talks, we don't call him intelligent." Raph remarked.

The creature started moving towards them again. Just then, there was the sound of metallic marching as an entire platoon of Kraang droids rounded the corner.

"It is the creature known as the creature that has stolen the object that belongs to Kraang." one Kraang noted.

"And the ones called the turtles." a second Kraang observed. "Both enemies that are enemies of Kraang will be that which is known as destroyed."

The Kraang then opened fire on both the turtles and the croc. The turtles quickly moved to dodge the blaster fire as the croc charged at them full force. It wasted no time biting into one with its massive teeth and throwing it aside. It then slashed at two other Kraang with its claws as they continued firing at him. As it continued tearing through the Kraang, some other Kraang came up carrying stun batons and jabbed them into the creature's sides, causing him to cry out in pain as he fell to the ground. The Kraang then continued their assault on the creature, stabbing the stun batons into him repeatedly. The turtles were off to the side watching what was happening.

"Aw man," Mikey let out. "They're hurting him."

"If memory serves he was trying to hurt us earlier." Raph reminded.

"We can't just let them hurt him like that." Mikey insisted.

Leo thought for a moment about what Mikey was saying.

"He's right guys." He admitted.

The others turned to him shocked.

"Hey I can't believe it myself." Leo admitted. "But we can't turn our backs on a creature in pain."

"Need I remind you, Leo that said creature grabbed me BY THE FACE?!" Donny exclaimed, pointing at his face.

"Fair point," Leo conceded. "But if the Kraang are after him, I want to know why."

"You're the boss." Raph relented.

With that, the turtles charged towards the Kraang. The robotic aliens turned to face the oncoming enemy and opened fire, a few remaining to continue electrocuting the creature. Leo quickly dodged around the blaster fire and sliced the Kraang to pieces. Donnie quickly came up and batted a few away with his staff, and even stabbing one in the chest with his bladed end. Raph threw one sai into a Kraang head before kicking it to the ground. Raph reclaimed his sai and rammed both of them into an oncoming Kraang. Mikey extended his chain around a Kraang that was electrocuting the creature and swung it around into the other one.

"How do ya like that?" Mikey taunted.

The Kraang knew they were overwhelmed at this point, so what was left of them decided to make a strategic retreat. The turtles sheathed their weapons taking note of this.

"Well that takes care of them." Raph remarked.

"We better get out of here before more show up." Donnie suggested.

Mikey then ran over to the creature, grabbing its oversized arm and proceeding to try and drag it out of the tunnel.

"What are you doing?" Raph asked.

"Well we can't leave him here." Mikey told him. "The Kraang will take him if we do."

"And what makes you think we're gonna just take this Kraang crushing monster back to our secret lair?" Raph asked.

Mikey just looked at them with big puppy dog eyes, something none of them, even Raphael could resist forever.

"Come on guys." Leo told them walking over to it.

The others joined them as they slowly dragged the creature back to the lair.

...

After a while, the creature was lying on the living room floor in the turtles' lair. Mikey sauntered over to it, clutching his teddy bear with a happy smile on his face.

"I still can't believe he talked us into this." Raph remarked.

"At least he's asleep Raph." Leo told him.

Donnie then came up carrying some chains. Mikey took note of this and stopped his sauntering, throwing his arms towards his brother indignantly.

"What's that for?" Mikey asked.

"We aren't keeping him here unless he's chained to something heavy." Donnie told him.

"Come on Don!" Mikey pleaded. "Just look at him!"

He placed his teddy bear in the arms of the creature, giving a little sigh.

"He wouldn't hurt a fly guys. Just look at him."

Just then, the creature snapped awake. It tore the teddy bear apart, and then instinctively latched onto Donnie's face, shaking him in the air.

"Someone get him off me!" Donnie yelled.

Leo jumped onto the creature's back and jabbed his finger into a point on its neck. Slowly, the creature collapsed onto the ground unconscious and letting go of Donnie.

"Alligator pressure points." Leo stated. "Guess they work on crocodiles too."

"Now can we chain him up?!" Donny practically screamed.

"What is going on in here?" Splinter yelled entering the room.

Mikey ran up to his sensei, putting on the puppy dog eyes again.

"Sensei, we saved a giant crocodile from some Kraang, and now the guys want to chain him up like some animal!"

"That's because it is animal, lame brain." Raph reminded.

"Oh yeah? Well so are we Raph, or have you forgotten that we're turtles." Mikey argued.

"We maybe turtles," Raph admitted. "But that thing is a giant mutant monster!"

"Raphael!" Splinter called out. "There is no greater monster than a lack of compassion."

"You haven't seen him in action." Raph remarked.

"But we're doing to him what everyone does to us." Mikey defended. "We're treating him like a monster, just like everyone on the surface does. We need to show him that he's not alone, that he has friends."

"Would be easier if he didn't grab me BY THE FACE MIKEY!" Donnie screamed.

"Come on Sensei… please?" Mikey begged.

Splinter paused for a moment.

"You mentioned Kraang before?" Splinter asked.

"Yeah, the Kraang said he stole something from him and they wanted it back." Mikey told him.

"And he wouldn't yield?" Splinter asked pausing again. "You made a wise decision Michelangelo."

"What?" They all asked.

"I know I never thought I'd hear myself say it either." Splinter admitted. "If this creature is opposed by the Kraang, then we might have found an ally this day."

"But, we're still chaining him up right?" Donnie asked.

"Of course." Splinter confirmed. "I am compassionate, not insane."

...

After a few minutes, the creature finally awakened. One of the first things it saw was Michelangelo smiling widely.

"Hey there big guy!"

It instinctively tried lunging at him, but it was held back by the chains. Donnie visibly flinched as the creature's claws came within inches of his face.

"Take it easy dude." Mikey reassured. "Chill. You're in a safe place."

The creature turned to Mikey, panting heavily and yanking at its bindings.

"Why am I bound like this?" he asked, sounding like he was struggling to speak.

"Well, mostly because these guys were afraid you'd try to eat us, but between you and me, I think Donnie's just paranoid you'll grab his face again." Mikey answered.

The creature slumped to the ground seeming resigned to his situation.

"You were wise to do so." he said.

This shocked the turtles. Out of all the reactions they had prepared for, this had definitely not been one of them.

"What do you mean, big guy?" Mikey asked.

"A monster like me deserves to be locked away." he said.

Mikey gave a sigh, then turned and walked out of the room, leaving his brothers alone to talk to the beast. Leo took note of the scars covering the creature's body, eliciting a wince from the blue turtle.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you big guy?" Leo asked.

The creature nodded.

"More than you could ever imagine..." It lamented.

About that time, Mikey came in, struggling with a large pot full of a strange, bubbling yellow concoction.

"Well you don't need to fear, dude." Mikey assured him. "You just need a little TLC. And nothing says Tender Loving Care then my patented pizza noodle soup."

The other turtles gagged visibly, Donnie having to hold back the urge to barf. Mikey just ignored them, scooping up a large scoop of the 'soup' and offering it to the creature as his brothers continued to choke.

"How many pizza flavored foods did you make?" Raph asked.

"Just this and the shake." Mikey answered. "But I had some other ideas. Pizza burgers, pizza burritos, pizza omelets, pizza nachos." He paused for a minute, picturing each of his creations fleshed out. "Now that would be awesome."

The creature gave the spoon a sniff, then gave the soup a loud slurp. He licked his chops as the other turtles ducked behind various pieces of furniture in preparation for the thing's violent reaction to the food. However, the unexpected happened.

"This… is the best thing I have ever tasted." It complimented.

The turtles dropped their jaws in shock. Mikey just smiled widely.

"Really?" Mikey asked. "Finally, someone likes my cooking."

"I guess statistically someone has to." Donnie conceded.

He pushed the rest of the pot towards the creature, who immediately began eating it with gusto. As the large creature slurped up the soup, Mikey sat down in front of him, still beaming.

"My name is Michelangelo," Mikey introduced. "And these are my brothers, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello. What's your name?"

The creature paused mid slurp, pulling its snout from the pot to meet Mikey's eyes.

"I…. do not have one." he admitted.

"You don't have a name?" Mikey asked sadly, then he perked up. "Well lucky for you, naming stuff is my specialty."

Raph quickly grabbed Mikey by the arm and pulled him over.

"Mikey I question the wisdom of naming that thing." Raph told him.

"And why is that?" Mikey asked.

"Because once you name it, you start getting attached to it!" Raph told him.

"Easy Raph." Leo said getting between them. "If this thing likes the name, maybe it will get him to trust us enough to talk about our mutual enemy."

"Fine." Raph relented throwing his hands up. "Have at it Dr. Namenstein."

Mikey walked over to the creature examining him closely. He lifted his arms, examining the feel of them and the sharpness of the claws. He pried open his jaws, examining the sharp teeth, much to his brothers' fear. Finally, he ran his hand along the creature's head, finally speaking.

"Your head's kinda leathery..." Mikey noted. "How about Headleather?"

He then thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Heather?" He tried.

Then he snapped his fingers.

"No wait, I got it! Leatherhead!" He punched the air, liking the name. "That's the one! Leatherhead!"

The creature paused for a moment, then gave a smile. While it looked strange and fearsome on his elongated and fanged face, the intent was clear.

"I like it." he answered.

"Yes." Mikey exclaimed pumping his fist.

"So Leatherhead," Leo spoke walking towards him. "What can you tell us about the Kraang?"

Just as he heard that word, his eyes turned white and let out a massive roar.

"Kraang!" he yelled tearing one of his hands free and grabbing Donnie by the face.

"He's grabbing me by the face again!" Donnie yelled.

Mikey then had an idea as he ran right towards his belly, attacking the creature with a big bear hug.

"Leatherhead chill!" Mikey yelled rubbing his belly. "Cleansing breathes."

As Mikey continued to rub his belly, Leatherhead's rage subsided and he slowly put Donnie on the ground.

"You're among friends now." Mikey reassured.

Leatherhead exhaled in regret.

"I am sorry." he apologized.

"I guess you and the K-" Leo caught himself and quickly changed his wording. "They have an extensive history.

"You have no idea." Leatherhead told him. "My life began as a common house pet. For some reason, the parents of the boy who owned me flushed me down into the sewer. It wasn't long after that that I was discovered by the Kraang. They took me back to their home world and subjected me to horrible mutagenic experiments. They broke my body in more ways than I could ever keep count, but they couldn't break my spirit. I finally managed to escape and i… stole something from them."

"Stole something?" Donnie asked. "What was it?"

"A… power cell." Leatherhead answered.

"Power cell?" Leo asked.

"I'm guessing it's not your average double a's." Raph commented.

"It powers their dimensional portal." Leatherhead continued. "Allowing transport between this world, and their home dimension."

"Home dimension." Donnie remarked. "Incredible."

"No doubt the Kraang are scouring the sewers for it as we speak." Leatherhead surmised.

"Then we need to get a hold of it before they do." Leo declared. "Leatherhead, can you take us to it?"

"... yes." he answered.

With that, Leo took out a sword and cut what remained of Leatherhead's chains.

...

As the turtles and Leatherhead walked through the sewers towards the tunnel Leatherhead had been residing in, Donnie hoped that their new friend would be able to answer a few questions.

"So Leatherhead," Donnie spoke up. "What else do you know about the Kr- them? You said they come from another dimension?"

"Yes." Leatherhead confirmed. "A parallel world they call: Dimension X."

"Dimension X?" Donnie repeated.

"Aw I was totally gonna call it Dimension X." Mikey cheered. "All the cool mysterious stuff has X in it. Chemical X, Alien X, X-files, even the X-Men lead by Professor X."

Raph whacked him upside the head to shut him up as Leatherhead answered Donnie's question.

"Yes," Leatherhead spoke again. "And when they came here, they brought the mutagen with them."

"But why?" Leo asked. "What's the point of turning people into monsters?"

He flinched, then looked up at Leatherhead.

"Uh, no offense." Leo quickly reassured.

"None taken." Leatherhead replied. "From what I overheard from some Kraang the mutagen doesn't work the way they wanted it to. The physical laws of Dimension X vastly differ from that of this reality."

"Which is why they've been conducting so many mutagen experiments," Leo pieced together. "They've been working to modify the ooze. Get it the way they need it."

"So if it's not supposed to turn people into monsters, what is it supposed to do?" Mikey asked.

"I wish i knew." Leatherhead lamented as they entered his lair. "We're here."

The small tunnel was in utter disrepair, most likely from various fights with the Kraang in an attempt to reclaim the power cell. Scorch marks from blaster fire and slash marks from leatherhead's claws decorated the walls. A large pile of what looked like garbage had been gathered up into a makeshift bed of sorts, an old towel serving as a blanket.

"Nice." Mikey remarked.

"Be warned," Leatherhead cautioned. "I set up traps to keep the power cell-"

Before he could finish, Mikey stepped on a panel that shot a razor stop sign at him. Mikey quickly ducked his head into his shell as the sign sailed past and planted itself into a wall.

"Safe." he finished as Mikey poked his head out of his shell.

"Man I love being a turtle." Mikey shared.

Leatherhead then went over to a wall and pressed against a certain panel. A section of the wall slid up, revealing a long glass canister containing a glowing pink crystal. The entire thing seemed to hum with energy, pulsating almost as if it was alive.

"Wow." Donnie marveled walking towards it. "This thing is putting out some wicked power."

Donnie took out some tools from his belt and tried to take a look at it. Just as the tools made contact, they electrocuted him and shot him into the opposite wall.

"Why do I always get hurt dealing with the dangerous Kraang stuff?!" Donnie asked sliding down the wall.

After that, Leo picked the power cell up from its spot.

"We better get this back to the lair stat." Leo told them.

They all nodded and turned to exit the tunnel. As they stepped out though, they were greeted by a squad of Kraang droids.

"It is the ones called the turtles and the creature that is known as the creature that has escaped from Kraang." one Kraang announced.

"Hey!" Mikey yelled. "His name is Leatherhead!"

"The ones called the turtles and the creature that is now known as Leatherhead will surrender that which is known as the power cell or the ones called the turtles and Leatherhead will be that which is known as destroyed." another Kraang threatened.

"Does the phrase 'go suck a lemon' hold any meaning for ya?" Raph asked spinning his sai.

With that, the Kraang opened fire on them. As Mikey, Raph, and Don charged towards them, Leatherhead shielded Leo from the blasts.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked.

"You must not let them hit the power cell." Leatherhead cautioned. "If it gets ruptured, it will destroy us all."  
Leo nodded in response to this. And Leatherhead went off to tear the Kraang apart Mikey had overheard this and got an idea. He ran towards one Kraang and knocked the blaster out of its hands. Mikey grabbed it and after kicking that Kraang down, ran over to Leo still holding the power cell.

"Hey!" Mikey yelled.

This got the attention of all the Kraang, the turtles and Leatherhead. Mikey stood there for a moment before pointing the blaster at the power cell.

"Let us out of here or the power cell gets it." Mikey threatened.

"Mikey are you crazy!?" Leo asked. "That'll blow us to Philadelphia!"

"I know that," Mikey acknowledged. "And so do the Kraang."

Leo suddenly realized what Mikey had planned and decided to play along.

"You heard him!" He yelled. "Back off."

The Kraang lowered their weapons as the two turtles slowly backed away.

"That's right!" Mikey called out. "One wrong move and you're in for a world of-"

As the two backed up, they bumped into something behind them. They turned around to see two other Kraang droids standing there. Mikey smiled nervously as one Kraang grabbed hold of the power cell. It and Mikey struggled over it in a bit of tug of war until the second Kraang kicked Mikey in the chest, sending him flying into Leo. As the Leo tried getting Mikey off of him, the two Kraang bolted down the tunnel.

"They're getting away with the power cell!" Mikey yelled.

"I'm on em." Leo called out.

Leo then bolted after the two Kraang as the others opened fire on the other turtles and Leatherhead again.

...

The two Kraang made their way down the tunnel, moving as fast as their mechanical legs could carry them. Leo made his best efforts to keep up and not lose them

"Come back here!" Leo demanded.

"Kraang will not yield to the one called the turtles that demands the yielding of Kraang!" one Kraang replied.

The two Kraang kept running as they rounded a corner. Leo rounded the same corner, but was met by five other Kraang droids standing in his way.

"Aw shell." Leo cursed.

Leo pulled out a sword as the Kraang aimed their blasters at them. Just then, something landed behind the Kraang. They all turned to see a man in a trench coat, sunglasses, and his hair up in a bun. He reached into his trench coat and pulled a blue futuristic looking sword. The Kraang wasted no time firing at him, but the man was quick enough to dodge the blasts. He used his sword to slice one Kraangs head off and quickly spun around slicing another one at the hips. He then quickly cut another Kraang droid diagonally. One Kraang tried shooting at him, but he deflected the bolts right back at him taking him out. He then just ran through the last one with his sword causing it to fall over.

Leo just stood in awe as the mysterious warrior sheathed his weapon.

"Whoa." Leo remarked.

"Are you unharmed?" The man asked.

"N-no." Leo answered still rattled by what he saw. "Thanks."

"I am sorry I was unable to prevent the Kraang from escaping with the power cell." The man lamented. "Still, the life of another is far more precious."

Leo raised an eyebrow.

"How did you know about the power cell?" Leo asked. "Who are you anyway?"

"I am simply a Guardian." The man answered. "And as for your other question, know this. You and your family are not alone in your fight against the Kraang."

"You can stop right there." Leo interrupted. "I've heard this speech before. From a guy who works for a psychopath called the Shredder."

"Your skepticism is understandable, especially with the number of enemies you have made. But perhaps one day you will see that there are those who fight for honor and justice."

Leo stood there for a moment. Maybe he was right. Maybe they weren't alone in this fight against the Kraang. He then held out his hand to the Guardian.

"Thanks." Leo simply said.

The Guardian smiled as he took Leo's hand and shook it.

"Know this," the guardian said. "In opposing the Kraang, you have made an ally this day."

"Leo!" Raph called out running up.

Leo turned to see Raph, Donnie, Mikey, and Leatherhead running up to him.

"Guys," Leo replied. "I'd like you to meet-"

He turned to see the guardian had disappeared, much to his shock.

"The mystery ninja." he finished confused.

"Ok…" Donnie replied. "Were you able to get the power cell?"

"No." Leo replied lowering his head. "The Kraang got away."

Leatherhead let out a groan of fear and defeat.

"With the power cell back in their hands, there portal will be operational in a matter of days."

...

In a secret laboratory, the two Kraang that retrieved the power cell entered and were greeted by another Kraang manning a certain device.

"Was Kraang unsuccessful in retrieving the object that needed retrieving by Kraang?" one Kraang asked.

"Kraang was successful in retrieving that which needed retrieving by Kraang." One of the two returning Kraang droids replied.

"In Kraang's face." The other one added, holding out the power cell.

"The power cell." the first Kraang observed taking it.

He then placed it into a slot in the machine. The power surging from it started to spread along the cables leading to a platform with three cannon like objects circling it, now glowing with energy. The portal was fully operational. The invasion was nearly ready.


	15. Angels and Dragons

_Yo names Casey Jones._

 _Right now I'm kinda having a bad hair day. And a bad head day. And a bad neck day. And a bad shoulder day. And a bad pretty much everything right down to my pinky toe day. I have the walking landmass known as Hun to thank for my full body makeover. Still, better me than Hun's true target. I mean, I'm a tough guy, I can handle this kind of stuff no sweat. But I doubt Angel could._

...

The New York Diamond exchange seemed quiet and serene in the after-hours. That silence however, was broken when the back door was violently kicked off its hinges by a pair of purple dragons. Several dragons, including the likes of Angel and Dragon Face, piled in.

"Alright boys, clean em out." Dragon Face ordered.

The dragons then got to work filling the sacks they brought with them with priceless diamonds.

"Ha best score we ever made." one dragon remarked.

"We're gonna be rich!" another dragon exclaimed.

"Sorry pal!" Casey's voice rang out. "But the sign says closed!"

The dragons turned to see Casey and the turtles standing in front of the back door.

"Now class," Leo joked. "Who can tell me what they all did wrong?"

"Well let's see." Raph remarked. "Breaking and entering. Trespassing. Robbery."

"Not to mention indecent exposure with half the haircuts here." Mikey joked.

"Get them!" Dragon Face yelled.

All the dragons charged at the heroes, who stayed relatively unphased by it. As one tried to throw a punch, Leo caught it and gave a strong kick to the stomach, taking him out. Donnie pulled out his staff and quickly smacked three oncoming dragons across their faces with it, before swiping at their legs knocking them down. Mikey took a running start before jumping onto his shell and spinning towards some dragons with his chucks flying wildly. Angel ran towards Raph wielding a lead pipe. Raph quickly blocked the attack, giving the girl a grin.

"Nice try kid." Raph remarked.

Raph grabbed Angel's arm and tossed her outside, causing her to land with a thud.

"Hey watch it!" she called getting up.

After punching out one dragon, Casey perked up, recognizing Angel's voice. He turned in disbelief to see her "fighting" against Raph.

"What the- Angel?" He whispered.

Raph and Angel continued their 'fight' as Casey ran up to them. Angel brought her arm back for a strike, but it was caught by Casey.

"Hey!" she yelled. "What the-"

"Angel it's me!" Casey said turning her around and lifting his mask.

"Casey?" She gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Wait," Raph interrupted. "You two know each other?"

"She's a kid from my neighborhood." Casey answered. "What are you doing mixed up with the Purple Dragons?"

"Not here Casey." she hissed, attempting to brain him with her pipe.

Casey blocked it with his hockey stick before knocking it away.

"Then where?" Casey asked.

"That Japanese place I first met the guys in." she hissed, punching him across the face. "They know the one."

Just then, several other dragons were flung out the door by the other turtles one by one. As they picked themselves up, they bolted as far away from the building as possible. Angel quickly took off after them, leaving Casey behind with more questions than before. On a nearby rooftop, two cloaked figures watched the whole affair and then fled off to inform their master.

…

Later that night, the turtles and Casey pulled up to Murakami's noodle shop in the Battle Shell. Sitting at the counter tearing into some Pizza Gyoza was Angel, still scuffed up from the fight. The turtles and Casey then entered the shop, the latter of which still angry and confused.

"Alright Angel we're here." Casey called out. "Now what's this all about?"

Angel swallowed her last Gyoza, turning to Casey.

"I'm not really a dragon Casey." She told him. "I used to be, but now I'm a mole for these guys."

Casey went wide eyed for a moment before turning to the guys.

"So you guys just let her join up with those creeps?" Casey questioned.

"She already was a dragon when we met her, Case." Raph explained.

"Besides, she kinda volunteered to become our inside man." Leo added.

"Or woman to be exact." Mikey added.

"I still think you're nuts for doing this." Casey said turning back to Angel. "Besides your grandmother's been worried sick about you."

"Grandmother?" all the turtles asked.

"You said you didn't have anywhere else to go." Mikey said.

Angel looked down, wringing her hands a bit.

"I… I ran away, alright?" she finally admitted. "I ran away months ago."

"Really? Why?" Donnie asked.

Angel paused for a moment before answering.

"... My parents died a while back. My grandmother took me in some time after." she admitted. "I… I thought she was trying to replace them… so I ran."

"And that's when you ended up with the Purple Dragons." Leo surmised.

"Pretty much." Angel confirmed.

"Yeah, well you're not in the dragons anymore." Casey told her.

"Since when did you start telling me what to do?" Angel asked irritated.

"It's too dangerous!" Casey insisted.

"I've been in the dragons this long and I think I've done alright for myself." Angel countered. "Besides, I'm only sticking around to help the turtles."

"She has proven helpful in the past." Donnie admitted.

"That maybe, but-" Casey tried to argue.

"But nothing Case." Angel interrupted, standing up. "I'm in the dragons to help the turtles. And that's it."

She then proceeded to walk out of the shop, leaving Casey and the turtles just sitting there.

"Well that went well." Mikey remarked taking a sip of a bowl of soup.

"Where'd ya get the soup?" Leo asked.

"It was on the counter." Mikey answered as Murakami walked up.

"Oh dear..." Murakami said. "I've been meaning to take that off the menu."

"Why?" Mikey asked. "This stuff is great. What is it?"

"Turtle soup."

Upon hearing that, Mikey spit out the sip he had in his mouth and proceeded to gag.

"Aw man!" he yelled. "I think i just became a cannibal."

…

In the Foot's sky rise headquarters, the doors suddenly swung open and closed just as mysteriously. Two Foot-Tech Ninjas then deactivated their cloaking devices and approached the stairs to Shredder's throne. Shredder sat upon it with Hun and Karai on either side of him.

"Report." Shredder demanded.

"Master," one Foot-Tech Ninja spoke. "We have discovered the identity of the turtles' spy in the Purple Dragons. The girl named Angel."

"So, the kids been snitching on us for the turtles." Hun remarked. "And after we plucked her from the gutter..."

"Still," Shredder interrupted. "This could be used to our advantage."

"What are you suggesting, Master?" Hun inquired.

"Tell your men that they will be stealing a shipment of new weapons tomorrow night at the docks," Shredder instructed. "Angel will then inform the turtles, who will fall right into our trap."

"And once the shell-backed freaks are all rounded up?" Karai questioned.

"Then we will dispose of the traitor promptly." Shredder answered.

"I'll deal with Angel, master." Hun said. "This is Purple Dragon business after all."

"Very well." Shredder allowed. "Karai, you will have the task of finishing the turtles. Try not to fail me this time."

Karai's fist clenched at the reminder of her previous failure.

"I promise you Father, it will not happen again."

…

In the turtles' lair, Leo and Raph were sparring in the living room while Mikey was watching TV and Donnie was doing some tune-ups to his staff, making sure everything was running smoothly.

"Man, Casey was really miffed about us having Angel in the Purple Dragons." Mikey remarked.

"He's just worried about her." Leo argued. "I mean, she is just a kid."

"She knew what she was getting into." Raph countered. "Besides, isn't it worth the risk to have the inside track on the dragons?"

"Except we're not the ones taking the risk." Donnie retorted. "She is."

"Look. When we were her age, we were neck deep in ninja training." Leo interjected. "If we can handle that, she can handle being a dragon."

"Well yeah but-" Donnie started to reply.

Before he could finish, his shell cell went off. He picked it up and saw he got a text message.

"Text message from you know who." Donnie spoke.

"No who?" Mikey asked.

"Who were we just talking about?" Donnie replied.

Mikey thought for a moment and then remembered. He gave a thumbs up in acknowledgment. Just barely suppressing a face palm, Donnie read the text.

"Looks like the dragons are pulling another job tomorrow night." Donnie informed. "A shipment of high-grade weapons out at the docks."

"See? It's good we know about these things." Raph remarked.

"And how long until the dragons find out about their little mole?" Donnie countered.

"Hey, they haven't found out about her so far." Raph told his brother. "Besides, the kids a smart one. If she does get ousted, she'll book before they can even think of harming one purple hair on her head."

"What did her hair ever do to them?" Mikey asked.

The others just groaned at that remarked.

…

The following night, the turtles made their way down to the docks. They swiftly made their way through the sea of shipping containers on the hunt for the Purple Dragons. Unfortunately, their search seemed to come up empty.

"What gives?" Raph hissed. "I ain't seeing even a single purple dragon in this place."

"Yeah where is everybody?" Mikey asked.

"It's not just that." Donnie added. "There hasn't been any sign of those 'high grade weapons' Angel told us about."

"Maybe the dragons decided to take the night off?" Mikey suggested.

"I don't think so." Leo responded. "Something doesn't feel right."

"Guys, he's getting that face again." Mikey called out quietly. "That, I-don't-like-this face."

"I have a face like that?" Leo asked raising an eyebrow.

"Sure." Mikey answered. "It looks like this."

Mikey then mimicked the face Leo was making moments ago, prompting eye rolls from the remaining turtles.

"Will you focus, shell for brains?" Raph snapped. "We need to figure out just what the shell is going on here."

"What? I'm just trying to liven the mood." Mikey retorted. "Not like any of you guys were gonna do it."

"Try and focus Mikey." Leo told him. "Because I have a sneaky suspicion someone walked us right into a trap."

"Bravo Leonardo." Karai called out. "You sure you're not the brains of your little group?"

The turtles all went wide eyed as they turned to see Karai standing on top of one of the shipping containers, sword in hand and a mask over her face.

"Karai!?" Leo exclaimed.

"Who were you expecting, the tooth fairy?"

"Funny." Raph retorted. "So why has the princess of the Foot Clan decided to honor us with her presence this evening?"

"Well, I do owe you and your brothers for flushing me down the sewers last time we met." Karai snapped.

"You're not still sore about that are you?" Mikey asked. "The smell comes out eventually."

"It wasn't just about the smell! You humiliated me, made me look like a fool in front of my father! And that is something I will never forgive you for."

She jumped off the container, brandishing her swords.

"That's why this time, it will be you four who will be flushed away."

"We'll see about that sweetheart." Leo retorted as the four pulled out their weapons.

"Though I think you should consider surrendering."

"Yeah look at it logically," Donnie chimed in. "There are four of us and one of you. What are you gonna do?"

"This."

She snapped her fingers as two shipping container doors were smashed open and Bebop and

Rocksteady came out. Mikey chuckled nervously at the sight of the two mutants.

"You had to ask." Raph growled to Donnie.

"You two, you know what to do." Karai ordered. "But Leonardo is mine."

"Sure thing." Bebop responded.

"You got it." Rocksteady acknowledged.

The two then charged at the three turtles as Karai bolted right at Leo sword swinging right at him. Leo quickly brought his sword up to block the strike.

"I must say, I always wondered how you were able to catch onto our Purple Dragon activity." Karai commented. "I didn't expect you to have an inside man, or should I say, an Angel on your shoulder."

Leo gasped at her choice of words.

"What have you done with Angel?!" Leo demanded, blocking another sword strike.

"Oh I haven't done anything. You see, my job is to deal with you and your precious brothers. Angel is Hun's pest to quash."

"Not while I'm still standing." Leo countered dealing some sword strikes of his own.

Karai then swept Leo's legs out from underneath him, knocking him to the ground. She attempted to stab his head, but he quickly rolled out of the way and got back to his feet to continue the fight.

The other three meanwhile had their hands full too. Raph continued hitting Bebop with the blunt end of his sai, but none of the strikes seemed to have any effect. Bebop just backhanded Raph so hard, he crashed into another container. Raph slid down to the ground as the mutant walked up. Raph took this opportunity to ram Bebop in the gut. This caused the mutant to just chuckle and grab Raph by his shell, hoisting him into the air. Bebop then slammed Raph into the ground. Raph tried to get up, but he was starting to feel weak from the fight.

Mikey and Donnie mean were trying their best against Rocksteady. Mikey was doing what he did best, causing a distraction for the oversized rhino.

"Hey rhino man!" Mikey called out. "You can't catch me! You can't catch me!"

Rocksteady continued trying to smash Mikey, but the orange turtle jumped out of the way every time. While Rocksteady was distracted by Mikey, Donnie came up from behind and struck him on the back of the head with his staff. As Donnie landed on the ground and swung again, Rocksteady grabs Donnie staff and swings him at Mikey, launching him right into Leo knocking them both to the ground. Groaning, Leo slowly looked up to see Karai standing over him.

"Nighty-night."

Karai joked before punching him in the face.

…

Across town, Angel was walking up to Purple Dragon headquarters towards an impromptu meeting Hun had demanded. Unaware of someone in a trench coat was following her from behind. She walked up to the entrance and gave a three fingered salute to the guard out front. The guard nodded and she went inside. She was surprised to find when she entered the building, it was empty. Empty and dark. Before she could ask herself any questions, she felt a hand on her shoulder. On instinct, she elbowed the man in the gut and grabbed his arm flipping him over her shoulder. As he hit the ground, Angel was shocked to discover it was Casey.

"Casey?!" She exclaimed.

"Ugh, nice to see you too." Casey remarked getting to his feet.

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked irritated. "I already told you my mind's made up."

"Yeah you did." Casey admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up on you."

"I can handle myself." Angel argued.

"For now, but it's only a matter of time before you get in over your head."

Before Angel could respond, there was a deep laughter emanating from a dark corner. The two turned to see Hun stepping out into the light.

"I think it's a little too late for that." Hun commented.

One look at his face, and Casey knew exactly who he was dealing with.

"Hun." he said glaring at him.

"Well isn't this a delightful turn of events." Hun observed gleefully. "Not only to we get to finish off the turtles spy, but also ice the vigilante that's been giving the Purple Dragons such a hard time. Life is good."

Just then, all the lights turned on to reveal several Purple Dragons surrounding them. Seeing how they were outnumbered by more than ten to one, Casey figured only one of them would get out of there in one piece.

"Angel get out of here!" he told her as he pulled a baseball bat out of his trench coat.

"And leave you?" She asked kicking a purple dragon. "Forget it!"

"This ain't up for discussion!" Casey shouted smacking another dragon away with his bat. "Go! Now!"

Angel looked back at Casey, then reluctantly ran for it. Casey continued punching, kicking, and bashing dragons away until finally, they all piled on top of him, overwhelming him. Hun stood over Casey as the dragons began wailing on him.

"Don't damage him too badly boys," Hun told him. "I think I know just what I'm gonna do with him."

…

One by one the turtles let out a groan of pain as they came to, rubbing their heads in pain.

"Everyone ok?" Leo asked.

"Just dandy." Donnie answered sarcastically.

"Peachy." Raph added.

"Shaken… and very stirred." Mikey joked.

Ignoring his brother's attempt at humor, Leo looked around to see they were in a large metal room, one that seemed to be about the size of a shipping container. Their weapons were missing, most likely taken from them after being knocked out, but there didn't seem to be any guards, nor were they tied up in any way.

"Ok I'll bite," Leo spoke. "What's Karai up to?"

"Well, it looks like she's imprisoned us in an empty shipping container, though why she'd do that, I'm clueless." Donnie surmised.

"Well at least we have air." Mikey informed, pointing to some holes drilled into the side of the wall.

The others looked at the holes, a sinking feeling entering their collective stomachs. That's when they felt the container moving, skidding along the dock like it was being moved, most likely by crane or forklift. Donnie tried looking out one of the holes but he couldn't make out anything. All of a sudden, they felt as though the container was falling before it came to a sudden stop as it made contact with the water and slowly sank.

"Give my regards to Hamato Yoshi in the next life, turtles!" Karai shouted as the container disappeared into the Hudson.

Inside the container, water began pouring in through the holes much to the panic of the turtles.

"Umm, Don?" Mikey questioned. "How are we gonna get out of this?"

"I'm thinking I'M THINKING!" Donnie shouted.

"Well you better think quickly, because even turtles can't hold their breath forever." Leo told him.

The water level continued rising as Donnie tried to get the doors open, to no avail.

"It's no good." Donnie reported. "She welded the doors shut."

"That's excessive!" Raph yelled.

"Well we are pretty hard to kill." Leo reminded.

"Were would be a better choice of words at this point." Donnie corrected.

"That's it!" Mikey panicked. "Game over man! Game over!"

Just then, there was some kind of noise emanating from outside of the shipping crate, one that sounded like an inhuman growl. Then, something hit the doors of the container hard enough to leave a dent.

"Uh, what was that?" Leo questioned.

"I think I might know…" Mikey started to say.

Just then, the doors bucked again, leaving a crack at the top, which unfortunately allowed more water to pour in. However, it also allowed a set of sharp claws to pierce through the crack, grip onto the metal tightly, and start to pry the doors open. More water flooded in, forcing the turtles to take a deep breath before the container filled all together. The doors were finally pulled free of the hinges, shoved out of the way to reveal a familiar, scaly face.

"My friends..." Leatherhead's voice called, though distorted and bubbly from the water. "Hurry..."

The turtles wasted no time and swam out of the container, making a beeline for the surface. They all broke free, gasping for air and coughing a bit as Leatherhead surfaced beside them.

"Are you alright my friends?" He asked in a worried tone.

"Yeah." Leo said in between coughs. "Thanks Leatherhead."

"How'd you know we were in trouble?" Donnie asked.

"Splinter sent me to look for you when you did not return." Leatherhead informed.

They all swam to the docks, flopping onto the rough wood out of breath and slightly exhausted. As they laid there, Karai's words rang through Leo's brain.

"Angel…" he said, "They know about Angel."

"How?" Raph asked panting. "How could they have known?"

"I don't know…" Leo answered. "But we need to find her… before Hun does."

…

Within minutes the turtles made it back to the lair to restock on weapons and make a plan to save Angel… only to find Angel sitting on the couch drinking tea with Splinter.

"Angel?" The turtles asked in unison.

"Guys!" She exclaimed, setting her tea aside, jumping to her feet and running to the guys to hug them. "Oh I am so glad you're okay!"

She then pulled away when she felt how soaking wet they were.

"Um, why do you guys look like you just went for a swim in the Hudson?"

"It's a long story." Raph remarked.

"Angel," Leo started to say. "Your secrets been blown. The dragons-"

"I know." She interrupted. "Hun tried to squish my head like a grape, but Casey bought me enough time to get away."

"What happened to Casey?" Mikey asked.

"I don't know… but I'm worried guys. He would have come straight here if he could have gotten away."

She sat back down on the couch, putting her head in her hands.

"This is all my fault… I should have just gone home like Casey said… Now he could be hurt, or worse!"

"It's not your fault." Leo reassured. "We're gonna get Casey back."

"And how are we gonna pull that off?" Donnie asked. "Odds are he's gonna be heavily guarded."

"Wait a minute..." Angel realized. "I think I may have an idea of where he could be, especially since he and Hun seem to have some personal business."

"What did you have in mind?" Raph asked.

…

At Purple Dragon headquarters, Casey was hanging upside down on a St. Andrew's cross, his entire body covered in large bruises, scrapes and gashes. The worst of them had been taken care of since Hun didn't want him bleeding out before his big finale, but Casey was still in pretty bad shape.

"It's been a long time," Hun remarked walking up to him. "Hasn't it Jones?"

"Not long enough." Casey spat.

"You're not still sore about what happened to your old man's store are you?" Hun asked, causing Casey to growl at him. "Personally, I have fond memories of that night. It was when the Purple Dragons truly showed what they were capable of. And we've certainly come a long way since."

"And yet, still the scum of the earth." Casey remarked. "Go figure."

"Hey, you should be honored." Hun said. "We're having a bit of a tournament tonight. And you're the grand prize."

"Oh how lucky am I." Casey said sarcastically.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a fight to start up." Hun said walking away.

…

Outside, several dragons were entering the building, each one giving a three fingered salute to the guards at the entrance. Five individuals were no different. Each wore baggy clothes, including oversized jackets that almost seemed to hang off of them. They all either had hoods up, or knit caps pulled over their heads. All five wore dark sunglasses and stuck together as a group, four of them almost dwarfing the fifth. Each of them gave the aforementioned salute to the guard. It was odd because the guard could have sworn that four of them only had three fingers.

"Good thing it's only a three-fingered salute." Mikey remarked.

"Shush Mikey." Angel hissed. "We need to keep our heads down, or we won't get a chance to save Casey."

"Sorry." Mikey whispered.

The five of them made their way inside and stood at the edge of a group of Purple Dragons. They all seemed to be gathered around a large boxing ring which was surrounded by a large steel cage. A few Purple Dragons were inside the cage, pummeling the snot out of each other. While surveying this Raph just happened to look up and notice something.

"Hey guys." he pointed out.

The others looked up to see what was most likely an observation booth before the building became a Purple Dragon den. Inside, leaning against the empty window frame, was Karai. She seemed to observing the fight with amusement, a pair of familiar swords strapped to her back. Leo took a certain amount of offence from that.

"This doesn't change the plan." Leo told them. "Raph and I will join in the tournament to by the rest of you time to free Casey."

"You make it sound so simple." Mikey joked.

With that, Mikey, Donnie, and Angel snuck away while Leo and Raph went up to the cage. As they approached, Hun's voice came over the speaker system in the building.

"Dragons!" he declared. "Tonight, we have a special match for you tonight! The prize of which, will be the honor of finishing the dragons' most hated enemy!"

As if on cue, Casey was lowered down like he was on display. The dragons yelled in enthusiasm, ready for the chance to waste him. Leo and Raph took note of this and made their way onto the ring.

"You sure this will work?" Raph asked.

"You know a better way to buy time?" Leo asked back. "Besides you need the practice."

Me?" Raph asked baffled.

Other dragons then piled into the cage alongside them, all of them itching for a fight.

"This will be interesting." Leo remarked.

"Yeah," Raph agreed cracking his knuckles. "An all you can beat buffet."

...

Up above them, Don, Mike, and Angel snuck along the catwalk towards where Casey was. He was being guarded by two goons just standing on the catwalk looking down at the fight.

"All we need to do is take out those goons, then we're clear to go." Donnie whispered.

"I got this." Angel hissed.

She snuck over to one of the spotlights, aiming it right at the goons.

"Hey guys." she called.

They turned just as she switched the light on to full blast, blinding them both.

"Lights on!" she cheered.

Donnie and Mikey then dashed towards them and knocked them out just as Angel turned off the lights.

"And lights out." Mikey retorted.

In her observation box, Karai noticed some bright light going off above the arena. Her eyes narrowed, then turned and exited the box.

…

Down below, Raph and Leo were easily taking out the dragons with ease. Even with their constricting disguises.

"Man I can barely move in this stuff." Leo complained blocking a punch. "Turtles we're not meant to wear clothes."

"You ever seen a human in his skivvies?" Raph asked. "Trust me, this is better."

With that, Raph took out the last remaining Purple Dragons, leaving only him and Leo left.

"You know, when I said we needed to buy time, I kinda meant we needed to keep a few guys standing." Leo whispered.

"Oh." Raph let out.

The crowd let out several low boo sounds at how quickly the fight had ended. Hun sat quietly, but was also displeased as to how things were going. He got up and walked over to the cage. He then proceeded to rip the cage door off and enter the ring.

"Oh boy." Leo let out.

"Nice fight boys," Hun congratulated. "But there's still one opponent left for you to beat if you want to win this thing; me."

"Bring it on!" Raph challenged.

Hun charged at the two of them and rammed Raph into the cage wall. Leo came up trying to kick him, but Hun just grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground repeatedly. Raph then jumped onto Hun's back and wrapped his arms around his neck. Hun reached his arms back grabbing him and threw him off, pulling his hoodie off in the process. As Raph got up, Hun and the crowd were shocked to realize it was one of the turtles in the fight.

"You?!" Hun exclaimed.

"Whoops." Raph said, looking down at himself. "Guess the secret's out."

"Guess so." Leo agreed shedding his disguise.

Hun wasted no words, charging at them and slamming his fists into the ground. Leo and Raph just barely avoided the attack. Raph tried leaping at Hun and punching him, but Hun grabbed Raph's arm and slammed him into the ground. Leo saw this and leapt at Hun kicking him in the face. As Leo came up to him again, Hun quickly uppercutted Leo sending him flying into the cage wall.

…

Back on the catwalk, Mikey, Donnie and Angel finally got Casey down from the cross and helped him to his feet.

"Thanks guys." Casey told them.

"Don't mention it." Mikey replied. "What are friends for?"

"So you survived." Karai remarked. "I'm not even gonna ask how."

The four of them turned to see Karai standing on the railing with one of Leo's swords in her hand.

"I guess I should be thankful." She continued. "Now I can get the pleasure of finishing you all myself!"

She then leapt towards them sword swinging. Donnie quickly drew a wooden Bo Staff he was forced to use since Karai took his metal one and blocked Karai's attack with it. She continued striking at Donnie and attempting to slice his wooden staff in half. Mikey bolted towards her swinging his Nunchucks wildly at her, but she just backed away from each attack until she finally kneed him in the gut. As he hunched over, she raised her leg up and brought it down on his head. Casey came running at her from behind, but she just spun around sweeping his legs, knocking him down. Karai sensed someone else coming from behind, so she spun around aiming her sword at Angel. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized how young her opponent was, the blade stopping inches from Angel's neck.

"Y-You're the spy?" She asked dumbstruck. "You're just a-"

Donnie took this opportunity to strike Karai with his staff, knocking her over the railing.

…

Down below, Hun picked up Leo by the shoulders and began crushing him, causing him to start grunting in pain.

"I'm gonna enjoy crushing you like a-"

Before he could finish, Karai fell right on top of him, knocking them both to the ground. Raph came over and helped his brother to his feet. Leo then walked over to Karai and reclaimed his swords.

"I believe these are mine." He told her.

She looked up at him, attempting to reach for him, but her strength was gone. Donnie, Casey, and Angel repealed down on Mikey's Kusarigama chain and joined back up with the others.

"Your handiwork I take it?" Leo asked.

"Something like that." Donnie confirmed.

"So how are we gonna get past all those guys?" Casey asked gesturing to the army of Purple Dragons between them and the exit.

"Just like we do everything else." Leo declared. "As a team."

With that, the six of them charged at the oncoming purple dragons and began to make quick work of them.

Leo delivered a high kick to a purple dragon taking him out just before another one came up and tried to punch him. He ducked under it and gave an uppercut to the dragon. Angel and Casey fought back to back, snagging a pair of pipes from some of the fallen Dragons and bashing some skulls with them. Mikey was just swinging away with his Nunchucks, knocking out any dragons unfortunate enough to get close. Donnie vaulted over some dragons and landed with his staff behind him. He then quickly spun around knocking two dragons off their feet. Raph just punched out one dragons after another, enjoying the 'all you can beat buffet' as he put it before.

As they continued fighting, they made their way towards the exit, the dragons still coming at them.

"I think it's time to bid our friends goodbye." Leo decided. "Mikey?"

"Booyakasha!" Mikey yelled throwing a smoke bomb onto the ground.

As the puff of purple smoke cleared, the dragons discovered the turtles, Casey, and Angel were gone.

…

As the turtles, Casey, and Angel ran towards the Battle Shell, Raph eyed one of the motorcycles outside the building. With a grin on his face, he grabbed one, shoving a helmet on over his head before pulling up next to the Battle Shell.

"Raph, what is that?" Leo questioned.

"Souvenir, now let's book!"

Leo nodded as both the Battle Shell and Raph on his new motorcycle rode off into the night.

...

Later that night, Karai and Hun informed Shredder about what had happened. Karai still couldn't get the image of Angel out of her head, especially how young she'd been. She probably was even younger than she was.

"The turtles managed to get away Master." Hun informed.

"And the girl?" Shredder asked.

Karai's fists clenched, then she came to a decision.

"Dead." She declared. "I made sure of it, though the turtles took her body."

She felt horrible for lying to her father, but if he knew the truth, the girl would be in danger. She couldn't allow that. Besides, Angel was of no threat to them anymore, so there was no harm in letting her go.

"You have done well Karai." Shredder said clearly pleased. "It has been some time since we have had a victory. Especially against the turtles."

"We may obtain another one soon." Nakumo said entering the room.

"Where have you been?" Hun asked.

"Master Shredder asked me to look into certain shipping manifests." Nakumo explained walking towards Shredder. "Rumors have been circulating about certain artifacts that could be useful to the Foot."

Nakumo handed a manifest to Shredder, who took it and looked through the contents. One item stood out above the rest.

"Are you certain of this?" Shredder asked.

"Absolutely." Nakumo answered.

"Then when this artifact arrives in New York, we must obtain it by any means necessary."

…

Angell walked up the steps of the brownstone, more than a bit nervous. She looked back at the turtles, who were hiding down a nearby alley and giving her encouraging smiled. Casey placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her one of his own. Taking a deep breath, Angel knocked on the door, waiting for it to open. After a few seconds, it did, revealing an elderly woman who looked like a much older version of Angel.

"Hey Grandma." Angel greeted meekly.

"Angel?" the old woman gasped.

She reached up hesitantly, caressing Angel's face before pulling her into a hug, one Angel took in spades and gave just as much. Tears ran down both their faces as the others watched.

"I told you I'd find her." Casey told the woman.

"Thank you Arnold." The old woman nearly sobbed. "Thank you so much."

Across the street, the turtles were watching this heartwarming moment. Though the revelation of their friend's real name did earn some chuckling.

"Arnold?" Donnie asked chuckling.

"I'm gonna get so much mileage out of this." Raph remarked smiling.

"Won't you come in for a while? The old woman asked. "I just made some pie."

"Pie?" Mikey asked perking up as the three humans walked inside. "Maybe we should ask Casey to introduce Grandma to his friends."

"Save it Mikey." Raph said as they started walking away. "We're ninjas, remember?"

"Warriors of shadow." Donnie added.

"We strike hard, and fade away, into the night." Leo concluded in an over dramatic fashion.

"Yeah," Mikey admitted. "What kind of pie do you think it was?"

That last remarked earned a smack on the head as the turtles made their way home.


	16. The Samurai Tourist

_My name is Miyamoto Usagi, a ronin following the warrior's path. For that past several years of my life, I have seen many strange things, battled many enemies, and made many friends. However, my latest trial had proven to be one that I may not be able to handle on my own. Thankfully, I have found four allies who are more than willing to aid me in my endeavors. I can only hope it is enough._

...

Blaring alarms and the sound of feet running across the hallway. These were the sounds that sent a shadowy figure on a wild run, desperate to escape both the noise, and their pursuers. Seeing a closed window as their only means of escape, the figure leapt for it, curling into a ball to protect as much of their body as they could before shattering the glass. The pursuers looked out the window to see the figure descending to a nearby rooftop. The figure rolled, then got to their feet, continuing forward as if they hadn't just jumped out of a building.

Two pursuers looked at each other in annoyance.

"The specimen that was the specimen of Kraang has eluded Kraang." One Kraang stated.

"Kraang must retrieve the specimen that requires retrieval by Kraang." The other Kraang replied.

…

Down below on the street, the figure ran down a darkened alley, the sound of wood on stone following them with every step. Soon, they came to a corner where the alley forked and they paused for a moment to catch their breath. As they did, the light from a nearby street lamp illuminated their hiding spot, revealing the figure for what they were. It was a large, anthropomorphic white rabbit, one dressed in a traditional Japanese gi. He wore geta sandals on his feet and had his long ears tied together with a piece of cloth so they almost looked like a traditional top knot. He had two swords, one slightly shorter than the other, strapped to his hip, and his eyes were of someone who had seen much in their lifetime.

"What manner of place have those calamari men brought me to?" He asked himself.

He heard a sound in the distance, one that resembled that of his pursuers. Knowing he couldn't afford to be caught, the rabbit took off once more into the darkness.

…

In the garage above the turtle's lair, Raph was working on his latest hobby, the motorcycle he'd snagged from the Purple Dragons. Mikey came up to see what his brother was up to.

"Hey Raph," Mikey greeted. "Whatcha doin?"

"Working on this little beauty." Raph told him.

"Sweet." Mikey let out.

"Once I'm done, the Turtle Chopper will be the ultimate ninja ride." Raph reported.

"Turtle chopper?" Mikey questioned. "Lame. I would have gone with… 'The Shell Cycle'."

Raph snorted a bit, turning to Mikey with an annoyed look.

"Yeah, well it's my bike and I'll call it whatever I want." Raph told him.

Mikey just shrugged and walked back to the elevator as Raph continued working on his bike.

"Though Shell Cycle doesn't sound too bad." Raph admitted.

"I heard that!" Mikey called as the elevator closed.

…

Down below, Donnie was working on a new metal staff while Leo was watching another episode of Space Heroes. In this latest episode, the crew of the Dauntless had entered an alternate dimension.

 _"Captain, it seems that after entering that black hole, we have appeared in… another dimension!"_ Crankshaw reported.

 _"Incredible."_ Ryan exclaimed. _"How does it differ from ours?"_

 _"According to our preliminary scans, in this dimension, Cron, your mortal enemy… is your brother!"_

 _"No!"_

 _"And he is now in control… of the laundry mat."_

 _"CRON!"_

"Whoa." Leo let out.

"You know, there is some actual science behind the theory of alternate dimensions." Donnie commented from his lab

"Yeah I think the Kraang kinda prove that theory." Leo replied.

"Well yeah but scientists have theorized that there exists an infinite number of earths existing in the same space but vibrating at different frequencies." Donnie explained. "And they can differ in very drastic ways from our own reality. For example, Hamato Yoshi could be Splinter instead of Chung Li, Or instead of two toes, we have three."

"Yeah, and maybe there's a universe where we have hair, or maybe run around with a human sister who can read mind!" Mikey suggested walking inside.

The other two looked at him with eyebrows raised.

"Well it is possible," Donnie admitted. "However unlikely."

Before anything else could be said, Donnie's shell cell went off.

"Hello?" He answered.

 _"Hey Don."_ April greeted. _"You busy?"_

"No." Donnie replied surprised. "You want to do something together?"

 _"Actually, I just got this report from one of the field reporters."_ April explained, _"One I think you guys should hear. Apparently there's been sightings of a, and I'm quoting this, giant white rabbit from feudal Japan running around downtown."_

"Seriously?" Donnie asked.

 _"Seriously."_ April answered.

"Alright we're on it." Donnie replied before hanging up and turning to his brothers. "We've got a weird one tonight."

…

The rabbit had successfully lost his pursuers in the maze-like alleys of the city, but in doing so, he had gotten himself hopelessly lost. He didn't recognize a single thing around him, and he felt a twinge of fear course through him at that realization.

"There must be a way for me to return home." he muttered hopefully. "Perhaps some of the locals can help me."

He then walked out of the alley and towards a young couple walking down the street.

"Excuse me." He called, holding a hand up in greeting. "I am sorry to intrude, but I appear to be lost and-"

The two screamed and ran off before the rabbit could finish. He watched them run off, then lowered his hand in frustration.

"This is going to be harder than I thought." He lamented.

…

Not too far away, the turtles were driving around in the Battle Shell looking for their Japanese white rabbit.

"A white rabbit in Japanese clothes?" Raph asked. "This is probably the weirdest mutant we've come across."

"I wonder where they came from." Donnie mused. "I mean, we destroyed Shredder's mutagen before he could make any more mutants outside of Bebop and Rocksteady."

"Maybe the Kraang have taken to mutating immigrants." Mikey suggested. "Like they did with the homeless."

"Possibly." Leo mused. "But we'll have to find them to be sure."

…

The rabbit continued making his way through the alleyways looking for another local to try and get help from. So far, everyone they had come across had run screaming from him for reasons he still could not fathom.

"I said give me the purse!" a voice called out.

On instinct, the rabbit peered around the corner from which the voice had come from, curious as to what was going on. He saw three men towering over a woman in a menacing manner. From the look of terror on her face, it was clear what was going on.

"It would seem that even in this strange place, the weak are still preyed upon."

Wasting no time, the rabbit rounded the corner and ran towards the three men. His long sword came out, slicing through the barrel of a gun one of the men was pointing at the woman.

"I do not believe that she wants to give it to you." He told them. "So I suggest you leave."

The three men just looked at the rabbit for a moment before fleeing in terror. The rabbit then sheathed his sword and turned to the woman. He bowed respectfully as he addressed her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

The woman looked at the rabbit, then let out a bloodcurdling scream before taking off down the alley. The rabbit lifted his head, then let out a sigh.

"It would seem that I will not find anyone who will help me." he said, a note of defeat in his voice.

…

Just a short ways away in the Battle Shell, the turtles overheard the men yelling as they ran out of the alley.

"Think that's panic yelling or your run of the mill New York yell?" Mikey questioned.

About that time, the woman's blood curdling scream echoed through the night as she too ran out of the alley.

"Definitely a panic yell." Leo confirmed.

Not even needing to be told, Donnie pulled the Battle Shell over, parking right in front of the alley the four screaming New Yorkers had come from. They all climbed out, weapons at the ready. The rabbit heard someone approaching and disappeared before the turtles arrived.

"Who, or whatever was here, they're gone now." Raph observed.

The turtles looked around to find any trace of the creature. Mikey looked down and saw something in the middle of the alley.

"Hey guys!" Mikey called out picking up the object.

The others gathered around to see what is was Mikey had found. It seemed to be some sort of sandal, but it was made of wood, and had pieces of black cloth as straps. More than that, it was much larger than any sandal they had seen before.

"It's a geta sandal." Leo realized.

"A what?" Mikey asked.

Before Leo could explain, a large foot came out of nowhere, kicking the shoe out of Mikey's hand. It landed in the hands of the rabbit, allowing him to slide it onto his foot.

" _Kame_ ninja." The rabbit practically swore.

"I take it you're the samurai rabbit that's been causing trouble around here." Donnie surmised.

"I am Miyamoto Usagi." The rabbit replied, drawing both of his blades. "And I am only seeking a way home. Let me on my way, and this does not have to end badly for you four."

"We'll see about that." Donnie challenged.

Without another word, Usagi leapt at Donnie as his sword clashed with his staff. The two exchanged blows for a bit before Usagi hit Donnie in the face with the hilt of his sword, causing him to stumble back. Usagi took this opportunity to kick Donnie in the chest, knocking him into a wall.

"I have dealt with treacherous ninjas like you for years." Usagi taunted. "Your petty tricks will do little against me."

With that, Raph ran right at Usagi and tried hitting him with his sai, but Usagi was able to block every strike. Usagi seemed to be able to tell where Raph was gonna hit, and that just succeeded in pissing the red turtle off. As Raph moved in for another strike, but Usagi just spun behind Raph elbowing him in the head as he did so, knocking him to the ground. Raph groaned, then he saw Usagi lifting his blade to deliver a final, lethal blow.

"Hey!" Mikey called out, getting Usagi's attention. "You think you're pretty tough? Well prepare for an education in the art of… slap stick!"

Mikey then took his hands out from behind his back and revealed a pizza in his hand. He then threw it at Usagi, who sliced it in half instantly.

"There is no such art." Usagi dismissed.

"Did you really think that would work?" Raph asked. "Where'd you even get the pizza anyway?"

"Found it." Mikey answered before pulling out his nunchaku.

Usagi just growled, then went back to attempting to finish Raph off. Mikey then came up and blocked the sword with his nunchaku chain. As Usagi shoved him away, Leo came up and the two exchanged sword blows. Both were incredibly skilled and neither was giving the other any openings.

"Your swordsmanship is incredible." Usagi complimented. "Where did you learn these skills?"

"From my Master Splinter." Leo told him.

"I have never heard of this Master, but he is incredibly skilled." Usagi admitted. "Still, your swordsmanship will do little to save you from-"

As Usagi took a step forward, he stepped on a piece of the pizza Mikey threw and slipped, landing on his back. As he looked up, he saw Leo standing over him with his sword pointing at him. Usagi looked up at Leo, then released both of his swords, letting them clatter to the ground.

"I would seem you have won." Usagi conceded, closing his eyes and awaiting the final blow. "If you ninja have any honor in you, you will end this now."

Leo just stood there for a moment, taken aback by his willingness to his fate. He then put his swords away and held out his hand to the warrior.

"I'd like to think of myself as honorable and a ninja." Leo said.

Surprised by this, Usagi cracked his eye open, then took the hand offered to him. He retrieved his swords, replacing them in his sheathes. He pulled the pizza off of his sandal, discarding it with no small amount of disgust.

"The ninja I know would have killed me then and there." He commented. "But you did not."

"Well we like to stand out from most ninja." Mikey replied.

"My name is Leonardo." Leo introduced. "And these are my brothers, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael."

"You'll notice all the good ones end in 'o'." Mikey joked, earning a smack on the head from Raph.

"It was Usagi, right?" Donnie asked.

"That is correct." Usagi agreed. "I am a ronin, a masterless samurai following the warrior's pilgrimage"

"Whoa." Mikey marveled. "Was that before or after you got mutated?"

Usagi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Mutated?" Usagi asked. "I am afraid I do not understand."

"Individuals who have been exposed to a special mutagen and turned into human-animal hybrids." Donnie explained. "Like us."

"You mean you were not originally Kame ninja?" Usagi asked.

"No we used to be regular turtles." Leo answered. "What about you?"

"I was born this way." Usagi explained. "As was my father, and my father's father."

"Seriously?" Raph asked.

"Ronin, past lineage, warrior's pilgrimage," Donnie listed to himself. "I'm starting to think you're not from around here."

Usagi shook his head.

"That I am not." Usagi said. "I was brought to this strange land against my will by a group of calamari men in strange armor"

"Calamari men?" they all asked.

"You mean squid people?" Raph inquired.

"Yes, though they continually used a strange word I have never heard before and the way they spoke was most unusual."

"Kraang?" Donnie guessed.

Usagi nodded, pointing at the purple turtle.

"Yes, that is the word they continued to repeat."

"Guys, do you know what this means?" Donnie asked the others.

"Yeah if everyone is like him where he comes from, I know where we're vacationing this summer." Mikey replied.

Donnie just rolled his eyes before continuing.

"It means the Kraang have got the portal operational." Donnie told them. "Now they can pull anything they want from their home dimension."

"We need to stop them." Leo told them. "Usagi, do you remember where the Kraang brought you to?"

"I am sorry, Leonardo-san." Usagi lamented. "Unfortunately, I have been their captive for a few days now, only recently escaping. I did not have a chance to see where I escaped from, and even if I had, I doubt I would be of use to you."

"Great, a samurai tourist with no map." Raph lamented. "Now what?"

"Now… we go to see Leatherhead." Leo answered.

"Uh…" Donnie let out nervous. "L-Leatherhead?"

"He's the one who took the power cell from the Kraang in the first place," Leo reasoned. "So he might be the one to know where the portal is."

"He's also the one that likes to grab my face and shake me like a ragdoll!" Donnie replied.

Usagi looked at the turtles confused.

"I am afraid I am confused. Is this 'Leatherhead' a friend or a foe?"

"A friend." Leo answered. "Though a bit of a hostile one."

"Oh relax, Leatherhead is a pussycat." Mikey reassured. "Who just happens to like to grab Donnie's face and shake him like a ragdoll. Ha-ha!"

"Mikey!" Donnie yelled.

"Riiiiiiight," Mikey replied nervously. "... let's move!"

…

The turtles and Usagi finally made it to Leatherhead's new home, which was an abandoned train station, where the mighty mutant was resting.

"Looks like he's asleep." Leo observed.

"He appears fearsome indeed." Usagi noted. "I can see why Donatello-san is weary of him."

"He looks so peaceful though." Mikey added.

Leatherhead then let out a mighty roar in the middle of his slumber, making the turtles and the ronin slightly nervous.

"So… who's gonna wake him?" Donnie asked.

"Not it!" Leo, Don, and Raph all said at once as they backed away, leaving Mikey and

Usagi.

"Yes! I win!" Mikey exclaimed, before realizing the situation. "Wait…"

Usagi chuckled, then patted the orange turtle on the shoulder.

"Do not worry, Michelangelo-san." He insisted, "Considering what I almost did to you and your brothers, the least I can do is help you wake your ally."

"Thanks dude." Mikey replied.

The two slowly walked up to the croc and gently nudged him.

"Leatherhead." Mikey quietly said. "Leatherhead…"

Just then, Leatherhead snapped awake roaring. He then charged right at Donnie grabbing him by the face.

"He's grabbing me by the face again!" Donnie yelled.

"What is wrong with him?" Usagi asked.

"He's having a nightmare." Mikey told him.

"That makes two of us!" Donnie exclaimed.

Usagi jumped onto the crocodile's back, thrusting two fingers into the pressure point at the base of the large creature's neck. Leatherhead's growl became less and less fearsome until he slowly lost his grip on Donnie, allowing him to drop. Once this happened, Usagi released the pressure point and dropped back to the ground.

"Hey big guy." Mikey greeted, getting Leatherhead's attention.

"M...Michelangelo..." Leatherhead said realizing what was happening. "Oh no. I… lost control again didn't I?"

"Well…" Mikey started to say before Donnie shoved him aside.

"Yes! You did it again!" Donnie yelled. "Why do you keep grabbing my face?! What is wrong with my face?!"

"You want the list of reasons alphabetically or in descending order of grossness?" Raph asked sarcastically.

Usagi let out a cough, drawing everyone's attention.

"I hate to sound rude, but is this conversation pertinent to the matter at hand?" he asked.

"Sorry." Raph replied.

Leatherhead looked over at Usagi in confusion.

"Another mutant?" he asked.

"No but I understand the confusion." Leo told him. "He's from another dimension."

"Yes, and I require your help if I am to return to my home." Usagi explained, bowing. "So I beg of you to aid us in locating the calamari men responsible for this."

Leatherhead's face grew worrisome as the two swordsmen explained.

"The portal… it's back online..."

"Yes." Donnie confirmed. "Do you know where it is?"

"My… memory of the place is… fuzzy." Leatherhead said drawing something in the ground. "All I remember was this symbol and a word… mirage."

The turtles and Usagi looked down to see the symbol, a ring of hexagons. Donnie took a picture with his shell cell already trying to figure out what it meant.

…..

Back at the lair, the turtles and Usagi were looking at the picture trying to figure out its meaning. Usagi was trying to help as well, musing over the word that Leatherhead had mentioned.

"Mirage..." he said to himself, "An optical illusion caused from heat radiating off of the sand in the desert. This place does not seem to house any desert, so I doubt that it means anything."

"I know I've seen this symbol before." Donnie said. "I just can't remember where."

"I got it!" Mikey exclaimed. "The Olympics."

The others just looked at him in confusion.

"Mikey," Raph began. "That is the most hair brained, moronic, absent minded, idiotic idea you could come up with for that! What hair brained dolt would look at that and come to that conclusion?"

About that time, Splinter walked in with a tray of tea for his sons and their guest. His eyes caught sight of the symbol and his ear perked in recognition.

"Oh, the Olympics?" he asked.

Raph immediately froze upon hearing that. Mikey just smirked at the situation his brother was in.

"I don't know Sensei," Mikey said smugly. "According to Raph only a hair brained dolt would come to that conclusion."

"Is that so Raphael?" Splinter asked.

"I… I… I…" Raph tried to respond. "I got nothin."

Usagi chuckled at Raph's obvious embarrassment, taking a cup of tea from Splinter. He sipped at it, smiling at the taste.

"This is quite good, Splinter-san." he complimented. "Where did you learn the art of tea-making?"

"From my master, Hamato Yoshi." Splinter told him. "He made the most delicious Jasmine tea back in Japan. Some of the cooks even called him 'the Jasmine Dragon'."

"He sounds like a man I would be honored to meet." Usagi replied. "Is he a rat like yourself, or perhaps a kame like your students?"

"No…" Splinter replied. "He is… or was… a human."

Usagi paused mid-sip, then set his tea down. He bowed humbly.

"I apologize. I did not know-"

"It is quite alright." Splinter interrupted. "Though I miss him greatly, I know he is waiting for me in the next life."

Usagi straightened up, taking back his tea.

"That is how I try and cope with all the friends I have lost on my journey." Usagi said, sipping at his tea once more.

"Ugh!" Donnie exclaimed, interrupting the conversation. "This symbol is driving me crazy!"

"You must be patient Donatello." Splinter consoled. "You are ninja. The word nin means patience and perseverance."

"Perhaps the symbol is a crest of some sort." Usagi suggested, attempting to help.

"Or a logo." Mikey added.

Mikey's choice of words then sparked an idea in Donatello. He then bolted to the computer and started pressing keys.

"I think Mikey might be onto something." Donnie explained. "Let's try; mirage, logo."

As Donnie hit the enter key, the results came up, and they looked promising.

"There's the symbol." Donnie said pointing at the screen. "Apparently it's a logo for something called… Mirage Industries."

Usagi came and looked over Donnie's shoulder. There was a picture of the building on the page, one that seemed familiar to Usagi.

"I think you have found it, Donatello-san." he told the turtle. "The building does seem familiar to me."

"Then that's gotta be where those brain blobs have been holdin up this whole time."

Raph remarked. "Looks pretty obvious what we should do next." Leo decided. "We break in, get Usagi home, and take the portal down."

…

Later, the turtles, Splinter, Usagi, and April were gathered in the kitchen, going over the building plans for Mirage Industries.

"So what are we looking at?" Raph asked.

"Well from the best I can tell," April explained. "The bottom two thirds of the building seem like a regular office building. And from what I can gather, normal humans work there."

"Imagine if they knew who they were working for," Leo remarked. "The ones who are working for this place must punch the card that is known as the time card into the clock that is known as the clock of time."

The others just gave him blank stares in response to his joke.

"Hehehe… sorry. Where were we?"

"If there are civilians inside the building, then it would seem the direct approach is impossible for us, if the reactions from those I attempted to seek help from is normal here." Usagi remarked.

"Agreed." Leo confirmed.

"What about the upper floors?" Splinter asked.

"That's the thing," April replied. "The top third… is completely blank."

"Meanin whatever they got cookin up there, they didn't want anyone knowin about." Raph surmised.

"So I'm guessing that's where we have to go." Mikey guessed taking a drink from a canteen in his hand.

Donnie took note of this and went wide eyed.

"Uh… where did you get that?" Donnie asked.

"Oh it was on the counter. Why?" Mikey replied.

"Mikey that's not water." Donnie warned. "That's my supply of nitroglycerine!"

Mikey then went completely stiff clutching his throat.

"I'm scared dude." Mikey whispered.

"Don't speak." Donnie instructed. "Don't move, don't even breathe. Just… pray. Pray that you'll be ready for the inevitable…"

Raph, who had been sneaking up behind Mikey while Donnie was talking, grabbed Mikey by the shell and screamed as loud as he could.

"BOOM!"

Mikey screamed as he fell to the ground. Donnie and Raph wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders laughing at the result of their little prank.

"Oh ha-ha." Mikey replied, standing up. "Very funny."

Usagi looked over at Leo confused.

"What is Nitroglycerin?" he asked.

Leo leaned in and whispered the answer in Usagi's ear. Said ears then perked up straight as Usagi let out a chuckle.

"Now it makes sense." he said in between chuckles.

Leo chuckled a bit as well before turning back to the task at hand.

"First things first," Leo said. "Getting inside."

"Like I said before, the front door is an impossibility for us." Usagi reminded him.

"Yeah it's not like we can mail ourselves inside." Mikey remarked.

Leo then suddenly perked up.

"Actually," Leo said. "That's exactly what we're gonna do."

…

In the lobby of Mirage Industries, Casey Jones, wearing a "borrowed" UPS uniform, pushed a large crate through the double doors of the building.

"Special delivery!" He called out walking straight for the elevator.

He was then blocked by several Kraang droids in human skins.

"The package that is delivered to us must be examined by us before it can be delivered any further to us." one Kraang stated.

"You want to check the box, be my guest." he said before pushing it into the elevator as it closed. "I have other deliveries to get to."

Casey then wasted no time getting the heck out of the building, not wanting to be anywhere near the Kraang when they realized the contents.

"Kraang, prepare to destroy the package that is required to be destroyed by Kraang." one

Kraang ordered as they primed their blasters.

The elevator doors finally opened revealing the box. Just then, Leatherhead burst out of the box and tore apart the Kraang droids present.

Inside the elevator shaft, the turtles and Usagi overheard the complete carnage taking place downstairs.

"I kinda feel bad for Leatherhead." Mikey lamented.

Just then, a massive roar rang out, causing the other turtles to smile.

"I think he'll be fine." Leo comforted.

"Nowhere to go but up." Raph remarked climbing up the elevator cables.

The others began climbing up towards the top. Mikey began humming something, getting the attention of Donnie.

"Wait, are you humming the Olympics theme?" Donnie asked.

"It seemed appropriate." Mikey replied.

While climbing, Usagi seemed a bit put off. If fact, he seemed downright irritable. Leo took note of this.

"Everything alright Usagi?" he asked.

"Where I come from, ninja are dishonorable creatures who will do anything to win." He explained. "Though I know this is necessary to return home, I feel dirty sneaking around like a common thief."

"You kidding?" Mikey asked. "This is the best part of the job!"

Usagi just shook his head, unable to keep a small smile off his face.

"Will you pipe down?" Raph quietly demanded as he came up to some elevator doors.

He then pried the doors open to reveal several Kraang droids. Unfortunately for Raph's fragile psyche, they were in the middle of changing out of their human suits, peeling away at their skin like someone peeling an orange. They stopped in the middle of their chore, looking back at the red turtle in surprise. He quickly closed the doors screaming.

"I gotta wash my eyes!" he let out. "And my brain!"

Just then an alarm rang out, causing everyone to panic. Except Mikey.

"Yes!" he cheered.

"Why are you so happy?" Donnie asked.

"Finally someone set off an alarm and it wasn't me." Mikey explained.

They all looked down to see several Kraang riding the elevator up to them and shooting at them. Instinctively, the five warriors dropped down onto the elevator to fight their combatants.

Donnie bashed any Kraang that came close away with his staff, even activating the blade on it and slicing them to pieces. Mikey bashed, bonked, and knocked away all his opposing Kraang with his nunchucks.

"Going down!" he remarked taking them out. "Or should I have said see ya next fall? Eh next elevator shaft fight."

Raph meanwhile tossed his sai into the head of one Kraang droid and kicked him into the elevator walls, causing him to fall apart. Leo and Usagi meanwhile were back to back slicing at the remaining Kraang left right and center.

"Gotta say, I enjoy fighting with you more than I do against you." Leo remarked.

While Leo focused on taking out their robotic bodies, Usagi's blades aimed right for the Kraang themselves. His blades made short work of the aliens, their purple blood practically coating his blade. As he was about to deliver the final blow to the last Kraang, Leo blocked his blade with his own.

"Whoa!" Leo exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"What I must." Usagi explained.

"They're beaten." Leo explained as he put away his swords. "There's no need for bloodshed."

Usagi looked at the fallen Kraang, then sighed and sheathed his blade.

"Tell me Leonardo-san, how old are you?"

"Fifteen." Leo answered. "We all are."

"By the age of fifteen, most young men have already had to take a life to defend what is there's where I come from." Usagi explained. "My blade is no stranger to the blood of my enemies."

"Obviously." Leo noted. "But I was raised differently. Master Splinter has always taught us that life is precious, even that of an enemy. That ending the life of a foe should always be a last resort, lest we become no better than the monsters we fight against."

Usagi placed a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"It is not easy for me to take a life." Usagi explained. "I too was taught the same by my master, but in a land where the strong prey on the weak, and those who should be protecting them are exploiting them, sometimes you must dirty your blade."

He smiled a bit.

"Though I hope you can continue your sweet and innocent talk Leonardo-san." Usagi admitted. "It is a refreshing change of pace."

Leo smiled at the remark.

"Thanks Usagi." Leo replied. "Come on, let's get inside where it's safe."

They opened the emergency hatch to the elevator, only to find several more Kraang inside. They immediately closed it before the blaster fire hit them.

"I gotta stop saying things like that." Leo lamented.

Mikey quickly threw a smoke bomb into the elevator and the five dove in and quickly dispatched the Kraang.

"Can we please just ride this thing to the top now?" Raph pleaded.

Donnie tried pressing buttons but none seem to be working.

"We can't there's a retinal scanner." Donnie informed.

"Not gonna be a problem." Raph said grabbing a Kraang head.

He held it up to the scanner and it began the scan.

"That which is known as access is granted to Kraang." a computerized voice said just as the elevator moved up.

The turtles and Usagi let out a sigh of relief as began moving.

"I am almost home." Usagi said in obvious relief. "It will be great to see the rolling fields of the country and see the children playing in the rice fields."

"Nice to know you'll miss us so much." Raph joked.

"Of course I will miss you." Usagi assured him. "It is refreshing to know there are honorable ninja out there that are willing to aid the innocent."

"Thanks Usagi." Leo responded. "It's been great getting to know an honorable warrior such as yourself."

Just then, the elevator stopped. The turtles and Usagi readied their weapons as the doors opened. As they did, some green gas filled the room, causing them to choke and weaken. Within seconds, all five of them dropped their weapons and collapsed to the floor.

…

After what felt like hours, the turtles and Usagi finally came to. They were in a large glass chamber, one that was receiving a steady supply of oxygen while the green gas circled outside. Upon awakening, Usagi turned to his friends and bowed low enough that his ears hit the floor.

"My friends, I beg your forgiveness."

"It's alright Usagi." Leo replied. "You didn't know."

"But I did." Usagi exclaimed. "In my haste to get home, I had forgotten about the poisonous air. Now, you four are prisoners alongside me."

"It's cool." Mikey reassured. "We've been through worse."

"I'd dispute that." Donnie interjected. "We are neck deep in Kraang country."

The five of them looked out to see a lot of Kraang droids working on certain devices. Some of them even wearing some kind of blue skin over their android bodies, and others flying around in some kind of hover pods.

"We are definitely not in Kansas anymore." Leo remarked.

"I thought we were in New York!" Mikey exclaimed, earning a smack from Raph.

"Guys," Leo called out. "I think we found the portal."

Usagi raised his head to where Leo was looking to see the large portal practically dominating the room.

"We just need to figure out a way to get over there and send Usagi home before destroying it." Leo told them.

"Yeah not likely." Raph remarked. "We're stuck in here, our weapons are way over there, and the room is filled with poisonous gas."

"More than that, I doubt we could hold our breaths long enough to do much of anything." Usagi added.

"They seem to." Mikey pointed out.

Donnie pondered that notion for a moment.

"I think this gas is what the air is like in Dimension X." Donnie surmised.

"That's…. Stupid." Raph pointed out. "Why invade a world where ya can't breathe the air?"

"Yeah what are they gonna do?" Mikey asked. "Mutate the whole planet so they can live here and we can't?"

The other three turtles all stared at Mikey in complete and utter shock.

"I don't know what's scarier, what you just said or that you said it." Donnie gasped.

Mikey then realized what he said as well and followed suit in shock.

"I just figured out the Kraang invasion plan." he let out. "I'm scared."

"So this is why the Kraang have been trying to perfect the Mutagen." Donnie realized. "To turn the planet into something they can live on."

"And we can't" Leo finished. "We have to stop them."

"Right." Donnie agreed. "We just need to figure out how to get out of here."

"Yeah," Raph agreed. "Hey, too bad we don't have any nitroglycerine, hey Mikey?"

"Yeah very funny." Mikey replied before pushing Raph into the glass, cracking it.

The others took note of this and smiled.

"I think Mikey just gave us our ticket out of here." Leo observed.

"Not gonna be easy with those guys watching our every move." Raph noted pointing to the Kraang outside their glass prison.

"Right." Leo agreed. "We need a distraction."

"Like the portal opening?" Mikey suggested.

"Yeah that might work but…" Leo tried to reply.

"No I mean the portal's opening." Mikey repeated.

The others looked over to see the portal powering up, much to their dismay.

"We need to move fast." Leo instructed.

"What exactly are you planning?" Usagi questioned. "One cannot fight when one cannot breathe."

"Chillax dude, turtles can hold their breath like nobody's business." Mikey explained.

"But I am a rabbit." Usagi pointed out. "I do not have that luxury."

"But you know Qigong right?" Leo asked.

Usagi gave a nod, now understanding what they had planned.

"I do." he replied.

"Then you do that," Leo instructed. "The rest of us will move out and try to get some fresh air in here."

Usagi gave a nod, then got into a meditative stance, closing his eyes and focusing. Mikey then pulled his head, arms, and legs into his shell as the other turtles grabbed him and slammed him against the crack repeatedly. Finally, they broke through and Mikey popped his limbs out kicking some Kraang. He nearly let out a 'Booyakasha', but quickly covered his mouth to conserve air. The other turtles quickly got out and grabbed their weapons ready to duke it out with the Kraang.

During the fight, Raph kicked one Kraang on a hover pod through a window, letting in some much needed oxygen.

"Usagi!" Leo called out. "It's safe!"

Usagi's nose twitched slightly, then his eyes flew open. He jumped into the air as Leo threw him his swords. He caught them, unsheathing them and immediately attacking the Kraang.

"Come on Usagi," Leo called out. "Let's get you home!"

"Too late for that!" Donnie called out. "Look!"

The all turned in the direction of the portal to see a large creature seemingly made of solid rock materialize on the platform. All of them went wide-eyed at the sight.

"Welcome to Earth." Mikey greeted.

The rock creature responded by spewing lava at the five of them. They quickly scattered to avoid the molten liquid as it coated various pieces of machinery, as well as one or two Kraang.

"Aw that's just wrong!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Raph, Mikey, you and I will keep the big guy busy!" Leo called out. "Don, see if you can use the portal to get Usagi home!"

"We best hurry." Usagi insisted. "I fear that creature may not be alone."

"Yeah no kidding." Donnie agreed as he made his way to the control panel.

The rock creature tried smashing the turtles, but the quickly scattered out of the way. Raph leapt up to its head and tried kicking it several times, but none of them seemed to so much as cause the monster to flinch. As Raph landed, the monster just swatted him away. Leo ran up and tried to slice him with his sword, but it just broke on contact.

"Oh man." Leo lamented before diving out of the way of another attack.

Mikey meanwhile was able to leap up onto the creature's head and repeatedly smack it with his Nunchucks. As he continued hitting however, he slowly began to get tired and his attacks had less and less energy with each strike. Annoyed, the rock creature just flicked Mikey away, sending him crashing into a wall.

While that was happening, Donnie was trying to find Usagi's dimension on the Kraang computer.

"My home is a rural land, much different from the place you call home." Usagi explained. "I do not know if that will help you, but it is all I can offer."

"It'll have to do." Donnie replied scanning through various dimensions.

An image of each dimension in the Kraang's database appeared on the screen as Donnie went through them.

"That one." Usagi said, pointing at a picture of a Japanese temple. "That is the Geishu province, more specifically, the palace of Lord Noriyuki. That is my home."

"Great!" Donnie exclaimed. "Setting coordinates… activating portal!"

The portal powered up once again, with a set course for the rabbit samurai's home.

"I can't keep it open forever Usagi." Donnie told him. "You have to go now!"

Usagi ran towards the portal, looking back as he did.

"I cannot thank you all enough!" he called. "Perhaps next time we meet, it will be under friendlier circumstances!"

"Let's hope Usagi!" Leo called back. "Until we meet again!"

Usagi nodded and leapt into the portal, sending him home.

"Yeah! We did it!" Mikey cheered just as the rock creature came up from behind him. "And now we're gonna die."

"We have to stop that thing!" Leo declared.

"How?!" Donnie asked.

Just then, there was a pounding on the door. And then, Leatherhead came bursting through taking out every Kraang droid in sight and roaring all the way. His eyes locked onto the rock monster and he tossed the half-mangled Kraang droid he had in his hands aside. He then tackled the rock creature and the two wrestled.

"Well, now that that's taken care of," Leo noted. "How do we stop the portal?"

"Don't worry," Donnie reassured pulling something out of his bag. "I came prepared."

He then pulled out a homemade bomb, much to the surprise of the turtles.

"Where was that earlier?" Raph asked.

"I was saving it for the portal." Donnie explained. "If we can get that rock creature on there we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Don't we need to take out the stone guy?" Mikey asked.

"You know what I mean!" Donnie yelled.

Leatherhead, having heard Donnie's plan, began to focus all of his strength so he could heard the stone creature to where the purple turtle needed it. Seeing this, Donnie activated the bomb and chucked it at the creature and the portal. Before the creature could react, the bomb went off. The turtles started to cheer at their apparent victory, but the immediately stopped when the smoke cleared and both the creature and the portal were unscathed.

"Oh come on!" Mikey yelled.

As the rock creature started getting back up, Leatherhead charged at it again. He then pinned the creature down, keeping it on the platform.

"My friends… You must run..." Leatherhead insisted, still doing all that he could to keep the rock monster at bay.

At that moment the portal started activating again, much to the dismay of the turtles.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey yelled. "Something else is coming through!"

Leatherhead just kept on fighting the stone monster, slowly moving it towards the portal.

"LH, what are you doin?!" Raph yelled.

"Protecting… my… friends." he answered as he continued into the portal.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey yelled. "Noooo!"

"Goodbye… my friends!" Leatherhead said before finally dragging the creature into the portal.

As the large croc and the rock monster disappeared into the portal, the orange turtle fell to his knees in shock and grief.

"Leatherhead…" Mikey let out somberly.

The moment however, was interrupted by incoming blaster fire.

"Mikey I'm sorry," Leo told him. "But we have to go now!"

Mikey nodded and they started to head to the broken window. On their way out, Mikey saw some metal device on the ground. He quickly picked it up and joined up with the others.

…

The turtles walked somberly back into their lair, where they were greeted by Splinter and April.

"Guys." April let out. "You're back!"

"Were you able to return Usagi to his home?" Splinter asked.

"Yeah but…"Mikey started to say, "Leatherhead's… gone."

April let out a solemn gasp, going over to Mikey and hugging him.

"I'm so sorry Mikey." she told him, holding him close.

"Don't worry Mikey," Leo reassured. "Leatherhead's a tough croc. He'll make it."

"I hope so." Mikey sighed pulling out the object he got from Mirage Industries. "But we went through all that and all we have to show for it is this."

Donnie then came over and took the object.

"Mikey do you know what this is?" Donnie asked.

"Shiny?" Mikey guessed.

"It's a Kraang data storage device." He answered. "If I can decrypt this, we might be able to figure out their plans."

"Way to go Mikey." Leo said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah you've really come through today." Raph added.

Mikey smiled at the prospect.

…

A bit later, Donnie was in his lab working on the storage device while the other three were telling April and Splinter the story of what happened.

"So the mutant rabbit was just a ronin from another dimension?" April asked. "Wow."

"Yeah." Mikey confirmed. "And the Kraang want to mutate our planet. Freaky right?"

"Yeah." April agreed. "Very freaky."

"What's even freakier is that Mikey's the one that figured it out." Raph interjected. "Though I kinda think we should have taken out the portal when we had the chance."

"We were outnumbered ten to one." Leo told him. "We really didn't have a chance to do anything."

"Yeah but now the Kraang have an interdimensional portal." Raph reminded. "And there's no telling what they'll bring through that thing next."

"Actually, that's where you're wrong guys." Donnie interjected. "I think I know what it is they're trying to bring over."

Within moments, the turtles, April and Splinter pile into the lab where Donnie was working on the computer.

"I used the Kraang processor in Metalhead to read the files on the Kraang storage device."

Donnie explained. "A lot of the files were damaged but… I think I know what they're up to."

After a few keystrokes, some pictures popped onto the screen of some kind of spherical space ship.

"A giant flying golf ball?" Raph questioned. "That's the Kraang's ultimate weapon?"

"According to the files, it's an omni-purpose, multi-layered, fully armed battleship called the Technodrome." Donnie explained.

"What's with the eyeball on top?" Mikey asked. "I just want to draw a smiley face to complete the look."

Donnie took another look at the files, immediately becoming worried at the prospects.

"That's not an eyeball Mikey," Donnie nervously corrected. "It's a Mutagen Laser."

Mikey gulped at that.

"A… Mutagen…Laser?"

"Yup." Donnie confirmed.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say," Raph spoke up. "We are in deep shell."


	17. The Sword of Tengu

_Leonardo here. Ever here the saying, looks can be deceiving? Well, my life is a prime example of that. I've learned that seemingly ordinary men could actually be aliens in disguise, or that a monstrous beast could be a kind and gentle soul. Now, I'm learning that an ancient, rusty sword from the feudal era is much, much more powerful, and much deadlier, than it appears._

...

In the dojo, April and Splinter were meditating together in continuation of April's ninja training.

"Focus…"Splinter instructed, "Clear your mind of everything but the moment. Let your mind drift into the void."

The two continue to meditate, unaware of the chaos that would soon come.

…

In a sewer tunnel nearby, Mikey was skateboarding along the walls, and having the time of his life.

"Eat your heart out Tony Hawk!" Mikey yelled.

"Yeah!" Raph agreed, rollerblading alongside him. "Why skate a halfpipe when you can skate a sewer pipe."

Not far behind, Leo was attempting to catch up on a scooter with Donnie taking the rear on his bicycle. The four continued riding along the tunnel as they came up to the lair.

…

In the lair, there was still a sense of serenity with Splinter and April. The latter couldn't help but let a small, peaceful smile play on her face as the two meditated. That silence however, was disrupted as the four turtles rode into the lair. Both April and Splinter snapped out of their trance as the four came riding through the living room. Mikey even grinded on the couch as they came in.

"Extreme green!" he let out.

"What is going on in here?" Splinter yelled getting their attention.

"Hey Sensei." Leo greeted pulling to a stop. "What's up?"

"Your little, 'BMX' show in our lair apparently." Splinter replied.

Leo looked back at the others still riding around the place.

"Oh… that." Leo noted.

"I do not see how you have time for such games." Splinter continued. "The Kraang invasion is imminent. What plans have you made to stop it?"

"Don't worry Sensei." Donnie reassured. "We got it covered."

"Oh?" How so?" Splinter asked.

"Well in going over the files on the Technodrome, it requires one final component to make it fully work." Donnie explained. "Without it, the Kraang can't use it."

"So all we have to do is take out the portal before they find it." Leo finished.

"Which we can do with my latest invention." Donnie said before going into his lab. He then came out with some kind of red weapon with a square barrel. "I call it, the micro-fission-omni-disruptor."

"Whoa." they all let out as Mikey did a handstand on the back of the couch.

"What does it do?" Mikey asked.

"Simply put, it can desynchronize the frequencies of sub-atomic particles, creating instabilities causing them to implode." Donnie explained.

They all just looked at him with blank stares.

"Right," Mikey said. "Simply."

"It makes things go boom." Raph simplified.

"And that boom should be able to take out the portal right?" Leo asked.

"In a single shot." Donnie confirmed. "Though it doesn't really make things go boom as much as it makes things go shwee-chooooo-pop."

More blank stares followed.

"It's important to be accurate."

About that time though, the lights in the lair began to flicker before going out altogether. Panicked, Mikey lost his grip and fell on top of his brothers and April.

"Let's hope it's more accurate than your wiring job, Don." Raph critiqued.

"I guarantee that whatever's going on, it's not because of me." Donnie defended. "Must be a blackout."

"Right. Now you wanna get your foot out of my shell?" Mikey asked.

"Ok whose hand is that?" April questioned.

"Sorry." Leo replied.

Just then, Splinter lit a candle, providing the lair with a small bit of light.

"Well that's much better." April said brushing herself off.

"Just keep the flame away from Mikey." Leo cautioned. "He scarfed down an entire chili pizza for dinner."

"Don't knock it till you try it bro." Mikey retorted.

As they all got back on their feet, everyone could tell that there was something off.

"My sons, while I usually do not condone trips to the surface, I fear that there is something sinister behind this blackout." Splinter declared. "Perhaps it would be wise to investigate this matter."

"Topside time?" Raph asked. "We're all over it."

"Can we take our gear?" Mikey asked, holding up his skateboard. "Pretty please with extra cheese?"

"I don't see why not." Leo replied, folding up his scooter and putting it on his belt.

"Yes!" Mikey cheered, kicking his skateboard up and grabbing it, tucking it under his arm.

Raph turned a small switch on his skates, folding the wheels into the skates so he could actually walk as Donnie picked up his bike, folding it three times until it becomes a size that he could easily carry on his back.

"Hurry back!" Splinter called out as they left.

"Wow you must really want them to get on this power thing." April observed.

"Of course." Splinter answered. "I do not wish to miss my favorite program."

…

The turtles made it topside, climbing up the rooftop of the first building they saw. Looking out at the city, they were quite surprised to see that the entire neighborhood was pitch black.

"Wow." Donnie let out. "This goes beyond a mere blackout. With the amount of power out in this part of town… maybe a substation blew or something."

"If that's true, then the power will be out for a while." Leo surmised. "And I doubt there's much we could do about it"

"I'm not so sure about that…." Mikey said.

Within seconds, the turtles were down on ground level, skating, grinding, and all around just having a good time. The empty streets of New York had become their personal skate rink.

"It ain't no sewer pipe," Mikey shared. "But it's still fun as shell to skate."

"You said it Mikey." Raph agreed, flipping in the air before sticking a nearly impossible landing.

"Sure you guys are having fun now," Leo interrupted riding up. "But what happens when someone sees us?"

"That's the point Leo, no one can see us." Raph explained. "It's pitch black."

"Hey guys," Donnie called out riding up himself. "Look at that."

The four turned to see two Kraang droids marching up the steps of the New York City Museum of History. The two easily tore the door off its hinges, allowing them easy access into the museum.

"What do you think they're up to?" Leo asked.

"I heard they have a killer light show." Mikey suggested.

"Yeah somehow I doubt that." Donnie dismissed.

"Well then let's go find out." Raph remarked pulling out his sai.

…

Inside the museum, the two Kraang droids walked through the various exhibits, scanning each on in an attempt to locate what it was they were looking for. Finally they spotted their target. An ancient sword with a golden hilt.

"Is this the artifact that is known as the artifact that is needed by Kraang?" One of the droids questioned.

"Affirmative." the other Kraang confirmed. "It is the artifact that is known as the artifact that is needed by Kraang. Kraang must obtain the artifact that is known as the artifact that is required by Kraang for Kraang."

The two Kraang walked up to the display, their metal fist easily punching through the glass surrounding the sword. Before one of them could grab it though, a throwing star embedded itself in the frame of the display case.

"Sorry boys, the gift shops on the first floor." Mikey quipped.

The two Kraang turned around to see the turtles standing in a line staring them down.

"Though I don't think they take kindly to shoplifters." Donnie retorted.

"And neither do we." Leo added cracking his knuckles.

"It is the ones called the turtles." one Kraang observed.

The two primed their weapons, but the turtles remained undeterred.

"Look," Leo spoke. "Trust us when we tell you, you don't want to do this."

"For one thing you happen to be outnumbered two to one." Donnie shared.

"And don't let the pretty faces fool you," Raph remarked. "We're tougher than we look."

Mikey casually looked up and immediately paled. He let out a gulp as he tapped Leo on the shoulder.

"Uh guys." Mikey spoke up. "They may be outnumbered, but it's not by us."

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"Look up."

They all looked up to see several Foot Ninjas standing on the rafters before they dropped down to the ground.

"What the-" Donnie let out. "The Foot?"

"What the shell are they doing here?" Raph swore.

"Ones that are not in this place are now in this place that they are not supposed to be." one Kraang observed. "Kraang must make sure the ones in the place that is the place the ones in this place are not supposed to be do not-"

Before the Kraang could finish, he was impaled in the head by a throwing star. As the Kraang fell to the ground, the second Kraang started opening fire on the Foot. The ninjas scattered to avoid the incoming blaster fire. While the remaining Kraang focused on the Foot, the turtles attempted to intercept those not currently getting shot at. One Foot Ninja tried fighting Leo with a staff, but Leo's blade easily cut through the wooden handle of the staff, leaving the ninja with two useless pieces of wood. The ninja seemed unphased by this as the two ends sprouted blades.

"Oh come on!" Leo exclaimed.

The ninja tried swinging them at him, but Leo turned so that the blades would make contact with his shell and break. Before the ninja could properly react, Leo spun and uppercutted the guy, sending him a few feet into the air before he landed in a heap.

"Whew. Saved by the shell." Leo remarked.

"Check it out." Raph called out rollerblading along. "Blades and blades."

Raph bladed up to a ninja and rammed him into a wall. Another ninja came up and tried to slice him with a sword. Raph ducked under it and the sword cut a vase behind him. Raph quickly grabbed the rest of the vase and threw it at the ninja taking him out.

"Hey you break it, you bought it." Raph quipped.

Mikey meanwhile, was skateboarding along knocking out Foot Ninjas left and right with his Nunchucks.

"Bowling for ninjas." Mikey let out.

One ninja threw a Kusarigama at Mikey that wrapped around his wrist. Mikey responded by riding right up to him and launching his board at the ninja, nailing him in the stomach.

"Way to pick up that spare." He congratulated himself.

One ninja kept swinging his sword at Donnie, but the purple ninja kept dodging around him. Finally, Donnie grabbed his bike and swung it at the ninja taking him out. Don then looked behind him to see another Foot Ninja ready to attack. Thinking fast, he unfolded his bike, got on it, and took out his staff.

"Charge!" Donnie yelled out riding towards the ninja like a knight jousting on a horse.

Donnie charged the ninja and hit him with his staff, knocking him into a gong causing it to ring out.

Leo meanwhile was having a little trouble fending off three sword wielding ninja at once.

"Uh, guys!" Leo called out blocking one sword strike after another. "A little. Help. Over here."

"Gain way!" Raph, Don, and Mikey yelled riding over to him.

Leo jumped into the air just as his brothers came barreling towards him, taking out the three foot ninja in one fell swoop. As Leo landed on the ground, he looked over the display before him smiling.

"Nice work boys." Leo complimented.

While all that was going on, the lone Kraang droid was still trying to fend off the hordes of Foot Ninja while backing towards the sword. As it reached its hand in the case grabbing hold of it, one Foot Ninja came up from behind and sliced its arm off before kicking the creature away. The ninja then grabbed the severed arm effectively grabbing the sword. Before he could join his allies in retreat, the turtles stood in his way.

"Doesn't look good when only one sticks around." Mikey remarked smirking.

"Just put the sword back sparky and we'll call it a draw." Raph told him.

The ninja only responded by pointing the sword at the turtles, it then released a powerful energy bolt that launched the turtles across the room, piling on top of each other.

"Or… best two out of three." Mikey offered.

The ninja then made an escape along with the others. At that moment, sirens started calling out, prompting the turtles to retreat as well.

…

Back at the lair, they informed their master of the events of the evening.

"So what do you think it means Sensei?" Leo asked.

"Trouble no doubt." Splinter replied.

"And what was with that sword?" Mikey questioned. "I mean, that was something straight out of a comic book. It was like magic Yo."

"No not magic." Donnie corrected. "If i had to guess, I'd say it was some sort of self-perpetuating oscillation frequency generator."

"Oh right," Mikey replied sarcastically. "That was what I was gonna say."

"Remember our talk about big words Don?" Raph reminded.

Donnie let out an exasperated sigh as he pinched in between his eyes.

"It delivers a shockwave that will knock you flat on your shell." he simplified.

"Next time lead with that." Raph told him.

While they were talking, April was typing away on her computer going through the museum archives, trying to figure out exactly what it was that both the Kraang and the Foot were after.

"Guys, is this the sword that was taken?" She asked, gesturing to a picture on the screen.

The turtles all came over to look at the screen.

"Yeah that's the one." Leo confirmed.

"Well, according to this, it's called the Sword of Tengu." April supplied.

Splinter's ear twitched at that.

"The Sword of Tengu?" He repeated.

April blinked in surprise, then looked back at Splinter.

"Yeah." she replied. "You sound like you know of it."

Splinter nodded.

"Indeed I do." He informed her. "There is a legend in the Foot Clan surrounding the sword, one that became a favorite bedtime story for my sons when they were younger."

"Oh yeah!" Mikey exclaimed. "It's story time again!"

"Yeesh where's your off switch?" Raph asked.

April turned in her chair, eager to hear the story. The turtles did the same, still liking the story even after all this time. Splinter chuckled, then cleared his throat.

"Back during the reign of the Shogun, there was a man, a samurai by the name of Koga Takuza." Splinter told them. "The first man to ever wear the title; Shredder. He sought to bring down the Shogun and rule all of Japan. To aid him in his endeavors, Takuza gathered together a mass of followers, the first Foot Clan, and had a special weapon forged by the finest blacksmiths. This sword was said to have been created from materials sent by the gods themselves, and held the power over the heavens themselves. With this power, Takuza would have been unstoppable. However, before Takuza could go through with his plan, a band of kappa, turtle yokai, warned the Shogun of the oncoming attack. Because of this, the Shogun was prepared and his armies were able to fight off the Foot Clan. The kappa aided the Shogun as well, battling against Takuza personally. The eldest of the kappa disarmed Takuza, robbing him of his sword and sending it into the ocean. It was because of this that the sword became known as The Sword of Tengu. In time, the tale faded into legend until it was all but forgotten, and the sword was left to rust at the bottom of the ocean."

"Only to show up in a museum in New York in modern day." Leo remarked.

"And now Takuza's modern equivalent has got a hold of it." Raph added. "We gotta stop him!"

"No." Splinter ordered. "A true warrior does not seek out an enemy whose intentions he does not fully understand."

"We know what Shredder's intentions are." Raph argued. "To take us out."

"Knowing that your enemy will attack you is a given." Splinter told him heading to his room. "Knowing where and when is the difference between victory and defeat."

"More than that, we still don't know why the Kraang wanted it." Donnie added. "Why would they be after an artifact from the feudal era?"

"Why indeed." Leo repeated.

With that, Donnie went to his lab and turned on his own computer.

"Fortunately there's more than one way to seek out an enemy." Donnie said as he typed away on the keyboard.

…

In the Foot's sky rise headquarters, Karai was in a defensive stance, eyeing her opponent carefully. She had a cocky smirk on her face as she side stepped carefully.

"Whenever you're ready Nakumo." she taunted.

Nakumo just smirked before charging at her. The two then exchanged blow after blow to each other, not letting the other get a moment's opening. As they dueled, Saki watched them from his throne, not moving and not even blinking. Nakumo tried a high kick, but Karai caught the leg and twisted it hard, spinning Nakumo in the air. Before he could hit the ground, she brought her leg up and then brought it down on his stomach.

"Yame!" Shredder called out.

Karai took her foot off Nakumo's gut and he got back up to his feet. He was a bit out of breath after having the wind knocked out of him, but he still managed. Shredder then got out of his throne and descended to his two lieutenants.

"Well done Karai." Shredder complimented. "It has been some time since you have bested Nakumo in a match."

Karai bowed, glancing over at Nakumo with a gloating look. Nakumo just glared a bit but just brushed it off for now. Just then, Hun opened the doors leading to the throne room.

"Master." Hun addressed. "The men have returned."

"Let us hope they bring good news." Shredder told him. "I grow weary of constant disappointments and excuses."

The foot ninja walked in, one of them carrying something on a pillow and under a cloth. Shredder walked up to the ninja and pulled off the cloth revealing the sword.

"The Sword of Tengu." Shredder marveled picking it up. "And it as potent as my ancestors described."

"Our men recovered it while fighting the turtles…" Hun informed. "... and the Kraang."

"This confirms our recent theory," Nakumo interjected. "The sword isn't mystic at all, it's alien."

Shredder then held the sword up to the Kraang exo-skeleton and it started glowing.

"It must have an added ability to locate other artifacts that share its unique origin." Shredder deduced. "Nevertheless, the weapon that was stolen from my ancestors centuries ago is mine at last. And it will be the perfect weapon to bring forth the destiny I have foreseen for the Foot."

Karai looked at the sword in mild surprise.

"You mean that's the sword from that story you used to tell me?" she asked. "The one stolen by kappa?"

"All legends have a basis in truth Karai." Shredder told her.

Karai gave a shrug.

"We do fight mutant turtles on a daily basis." she admitted. "And apparently we have competition with aliens."

"Which begs the question," Nakumo spoke up. "What happens then those 'Kraang' come looking for it?"

"We will deal with them in due time." Shredder said turning to Karai. "In the meantime, Karai, bring this to tech division."

Shredder then handed Karai the sword on the pillow it was brought in on.

"Tell them to proceed to Phase 2." Shredder finished.

…

In Mirage Industries, the Kraang we're hard at work trying to locate the missing sword.

"Has Kraang located the artifact this is known as the artifact that is needed by Kraang?"

"Negative." another Kraang answered. "Kraang has yet to locate the artifact that is known at the artifact that is needed by Kraang."

"Kraang Prime is getting that which is known as impatient." the first Kraang told him.

"Kraang Prime?" the other Kraang asked.

"Affirmative." the other Kraang confirmed. "And Kraang Prime is that which is known as displeased with the progress that is known as the lack of progress of Kraang."

"Kraang will double the efforts that require doubling by Kraang and Kraang Prime."

The Kraang droids began working twice as fast as before, searching desperately for any trace of the missing sword.

"Perhaps Kraang should look into the ones who were in the place that are known as the ones who should not have been in the place."

"Kraang is that which is known as brilliant."

A secondary search came up, and this one proved to be more fruitful than the other.

"The ones known as The Foot Clan were the ones known as the one who were in the place that should not have been in the place."

"The ones known as The Foot Clan have the artifact that is known as the artifact that is needed by Kraang."

"If Kraang finds the ones known as The Foot Clan, Kraang find the artifact that is needed by Kraang."

"Kraang must find the ones known as The Foot Clan at a time which is sooner rather than a time that is later then that time."

…

Back at the lair, Mikey was eating some chips on the couch while Donnie was still on the computer, Leo was practicing some martial arts moves and Raph was wailing away on a practice dummy. One that seemingly resembled a certain blade covered psychopath. Splinter and April were both meditating, attempting to find some calm in everything that was going on. While typing away, something came up on Donnie's computer.

"Hey guys!" Donnie called out.

The other turtles immediately dropped what they were doing and ran over to Donnie's lab. Splinter and April joined as well, curious.

"Whatcha got Don?" Leo asked.

"Another black out like the one the other night." Donnie explained. "This one down by the Southside seaport."

"You think Shred-head's behind it?" Raph asked.

"I'd bet my shell on it." Donnie answered.

"Power failures do seem less Kraang-y and more evil ninja-y." Mikey commented.

"Then I suggest now be the time to seek out our enemy." Splinter suggested.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Leo asked.

…

Within minutes, the turtles made their way to the Southside seaport, looking down at the darkened docks for any sign of the Foot.

"Pitch black." Leo observed. "Just like last night."

"And it looks like we ain't the only ones enjoying the sights." Raph snarled.

The four brothers looked to see several foot ninja gathered around some kind of cannon mounted up on the docks. Donnie took out a pair of binoculars from his bag to get a closer look.

"What the shell is that thing?" Raph asked.

"From the looks of things, it's some kind of energy cannon." Donnie surmised. "Though from the design, it seems to require a great deal of energy to power."

"Energy from a self-perpetuating olicauction freeway generator?" Mikey asked botching the words.

"If you mean the sword, then yes." Donnie confirmed.

"And if one bolt managed to take us out…" Leo began to surmise.

"The energy of the sword channeled through the cannon could cause earthquakes measuring at least a 5.3 on the Richter scale." Donnie continued.

"Splinter did say Shredder did have dreams to take over the world." Mikey remembered.

"Yeah and what better way to gain support than to take out half of New York in a display of power." Leo agreed.

"Actually it would be more like 68% of the city." Donny clarified. "Not to mention fallout damage and the backlash caused from the multiple destroyed buildings and loss of power, utilities and other essentials."

"How is that helping anything?" Raph asked.

"It's not, but it's-"

"Important to be accurate, we know!" Raph yelled interrupting.

"The point is we have to stop them." Leo interrupted before it could escalate.

"Right." Donnie agreed.

The turtles then moved down to the docks and positioned themselves a couple feet away from the machine.

"How many are we dealing with?" Leo asked.

Donnie then took out some night vision goggles to get a better look.

"Looks like only two working on the cannon." Donnie observed.

"But that only means the others are in hiding." Leo surmised.

On instinct, Mikey looked up, remembering what happened back at the museum. Sure enough, his efforts were rewarded.

"Guys… I found them."

The others looked up to see several Foot Ninjas standing on the boat behind them or up in its ropes. Just then Karai landed on the railing of the ship looking down at them.

"Karai." Leo let out.

"Hi Leo." she greeted. "Glad to see you again. I'm sorry the last time we met up ended on such a sour note."

"If by sour note, you mean you nearly drowning us?" Leo asked.

Karai shrugged.

"Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe." she said.

"Yeah, well you and your little cronies can po-tah-go take a long walk of a short pier." Raph threw back.

"I think I saw one a ways back." Mikey joked.

Karai just chuckled.

"Always with the jokes, Michelangelo." Karai quipped. "I wonder how well you can joke without a tongue."

She jumped off the ship and ran at the turtles. They all scattered to get out of the way.

"Gotta say Leo," Donnie spoke up. "Your lady friend is really becoming a pain in the shell!"

"Yeah tell me about it." Leo agreed.

Leo charged at Karai and the two began exchanging blows with their swords. While they were having at it, the other turtles leapt up to the ship to fight the Foot Ninja.

One Foot Ninja just slashed his sword wildly at Raph, but he blocked every strike with his sai. As soon as the two combatants were caught in a weapon lock, Raph used his sai to break the sword. As the ninja looked at his broken weapon, Raph took the opportunity to uppercut him on the jaw taking him out.

Mikey meanwhile was handling two sword wielding ninja at once, keeping them away with a torrent of blows. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He extended his chain and launched at a part of the mast behind them. He then jumped into the air and swung past the two ninjas. He then swung around the mast and right into his two opponents taking them out.

"Woo-Hoo!" Mikey yelled. "Jack Sparrow eat your heart out!"

Donnie meanwhile struck an oncoming ninja in the chest and vaulted him over head. He then looked up to see another ninja descending toward him with his sword drawn back. Donnie quickly blocked it before kicking him away. Another ninja came up from behind him and, without even turning around, Don struck it in the gut with his staff.

Karai's blade clashed with Leo's as she did everything in her power to keep him at bay. Leo just continued pressing the attack, not giving his opponent even a moment's leeway.

"Why do you continue to get in our way, Leonardo?" Karai asked.

"One, you want to kill us and our master," Leo told her. "Two, we're not about to let countless innocents suffer on behalf of the Shredder."

"My father wants to unify the world!" Karai exclaimed. "Bring everyone together under the banner of the Foot!"

"Sounds like a bit like a dictatorship if you ask me." Leo countered.

"I don't expect you to understand, but in order for there to be true peace, order must prevail."

"Even with innocent lives being lost?"

"You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs." Karai retorted.

"You're right about one thing," Leo said before kicking Karai away. "I don't understand."

Karai collided with the hull of the ship as Leo made his way to the cannon. As he got up onto the platform, the two Foot Ninja manning the large cannon drew their weapons ready to fight.

"Sorry, but that cannon is breaking far too many public safety regulations." Leo declared.

Back on the ship, Raph was climbing up a rope ladder up to the crow's nest. He was being followed by a Foot Ninja. After he finally made it to the top, Raph quickly used his sai to cut the rope sending the ninja falling to the ground.

"Ooh." Raph let out as the ninja made contact with the ground. "That looked like it hurt."

Just then, he turned to see two more ninja walking along the mast towards him. Raph just smirked at this as he leapt out to meet them. The ninja in front raised his sword and brought it down on Raph. Raph quickly blocked it with his sai and kicked the ninja into the ninja behind him, sending them both falling to the ground.

"Man gravity must not like you guys today." Raph remarked.

"Dude, leave the jokes to me!" Mikey called out. "For example-"

He roundhouse kicked a few ninjas over the side of the ship.

"Man overboard!" Mikey exclaimed.

"What so you're the only one who can crack corny one-liners?" Donnie asked taking out another ninja.

More ninjas started surrounding him as Donnie's shell was up against a main mast. Thinking fast Donnie grabbed hold of one of the ropes attached to the mast and cut it with the blade end of his staff. He then went soaring upward onto one of the horizontal beams. He then ran along the beam cutting loose the sail. The sail then fell on top of the ninja combatants below.

"Looks like the boats sailed for these guys." Donnie quipped.

Mikey and Raph just rolled their eyes at the remark.

"Okay, everyone can crack corny one-liners… except Donnie." Mikey said.

Leo meanwhile, was duking it out with the two ninjas. They came at him from different angles, forcing the blue turtle to fight on two fronts. He then quickly ducked causing the two ninjas blades to collide. Leo then quickly grabbed them by the shirts and threw them together, causing them to collide heads and hall unconscious. Once his enemies were dealt with, he turned his attention back to the cannon. It started acting up, as if the power was activated. Leo knew he had to work fast. After looking at the controls, he soon realized he had no idea how any of it worked.

"Uh Donnie!" he called out. "Kinda need some help over here!"

The others heard this and immediately bolted over to their brother.

"What are we looking at Don?" Leo asked.

Donnie came up and took a look at the control panel.

"Honestly? I have no clue!"

"No clue?!" Leo exclaimed. "What do you mean you have no clue?! I thought you were supposed to be some kind of super genius!"

"That doesn't mean I automatically know what the shell everything is or how it works! I mean, this thing is a culmination of modern technology, as well as cobbled together pieces of Kraang Tech! It's the Frankenstein monster of cannons!"

"Well can't you just-"

Before Leo could finish, the cannon fired. Sending out a shockwave that was beginning to tear up the streets and cause buildings to crumble. Karai, who was finally back on the ship after being tossed by Leo, saw the devastation and her eyes went wide.

"That…. That's not what he said would happen..." she said softly

"Well we got to think of something and think of it fast!" Leo declared. "First thing's first, point the cannon away from civilization!"

Leo, Raph, and Mikey got onto the side of the cannon and started pushing on it. It was slow going, but they managed to get it trained away from land and towards the open water. While they were doing that, Donnie took off the control panel and tried to get a good look at the internal wiring. Thankfully, it was something he recognized.

"Alright," Donnie spoke. "It'll just take me a few seconds to-"

Before he could say anything else, Karai landed on the platform. Leo, Raph, and Mikey drew their weapons and charged at her. Leo's and Raph's weapons collided with her blade, but she paid them little mind. Instead, she used them as a springboard to launch herself at Donnie. She raised her sword up, preparing to bring it down in one deadly strike. Mikey tackled Donnie out of the way just as Karai's sword pierced through the control panel. The cannon slowly began deactivating as the turtles got to their feet.

"Ya missed." Raph remarked.

Karai pulled her sword out of the device, looking at the turtles with an emotionless expression. She shook off bits of wire and metal from her sword, her eyes glancing over at the devastated docks for a split second. Leo noticed this and could see the spark of regret in her eyes.

"Or did she…?" He muttered,

At that moment, some bolts of blaster fire soared past them. They all turned to see several Kraang droids marching towards them.

"It is the ones called the Foot Clan in possession of the artifact that is known as the artifact that is needed by Kraang."

"Alongside the ones known as the Foot Clan are the ones called the turtles."

"Diagnosis: Destroy all non-Kraang."

The Kraang then opened fire on the turtles and Karai, forcing them all to scatter in order to avoid getting shot. Raph then quickly threw his sai at two Kraang droids heads taking them out. Mikey extended his chain and wrapped it around another Kraang droid. He then pulled him in close and sliced him in half with his kusarigama blade. Karai came after a Kraang Droid getting a bit too close to the cannon, slicing through the robotic body like it was nothing. While the turtles and Karai were having at most of the aliens, some other Kraang made their way to the cannon and removed the sword from it.

"Guys," Leo called out. "The Kraang are getting away with the sword!"

Karai snarled at that, then let out a shrill whistle.

"Foot ninja, retrieve the sword!" She ordered. "All of you!"

The Foot Ninja got back onto their feet and chased after the Kraang. The turtles were about to chase after them as well, but Karai threw a shuriken at their feet.

"I suggest you take this opportunity to leave while you still draw breath." she told them.

"Give me one reason why we should listen to you?" Raph questioned.

"Because you owe me for Angel." she spat. "And for destroying the cannon for you."

With that, Karai took off after her forces in pursuit of the sword. The turtles all watched her go, now more confused than ever.

"What was she talking about?" Leo asked.

"Well when we were rescuing Casey from the Purple Dragons, we fought with Karai. She was about to take out Angel but she stopped. Probably not knowing how young our informant was." Donnie explained.

"And she destroyed the cannon for us?" Mikey asked.

"Maybe…" Leo said, looking off. "Maybe we were wrong about her…"

"If you're about to start singing, I'm gonna throw up." Raph remarked.

Leo shook his head coming back to the moment.

"We have more important things to worry about." Leo said. "Like the fact that the Sword of Tengu is now in the hands of the Kraang."

"Yeah," Mikey agreed. "With that much power in their hands, I'd hate to be a human in this city."

"Well there are worse people to be." Donnie told him.

"Like who?" Mikey asked.

"The guy who has to tell Shredder about this."

…

Back at the Foot's sky rise headquarters, Karai bowed before her father, her eyes on the ground.

"I am sorry Father, but the cannon was destroyed, and the Sword of Tengu was taken by the Kraang."

Shredder growled at this development.

"For a long time, longer than you can imagine, my ancestors have sought after this sword." Shredder explained. "Now, after nearly a thousand years, the sword has been returned to the Foot. Only for it to be snatched away by these alien freaks!"

Karai flinched at her father's tone, but maintained her position.

"I can only say that I am truly sorry I failed you."

"There may be a way to fix this." Nakumo said entering the room.

The two turned to see Nakumo coming in with some kind of device in his hands.

"We learned earlier that the sword can locate other artifacts that share its extraterrestrial origin. So Dr. Stockman reworked the exoskeleton to track the swords energy signature."

Shredder came down from his throne and took the device.

"We tracked the signal for a while," Nakumo exclaimed. "But we lost the signal outside this building."

Shredder looked at the device, seeing the location reading 'Mirage Industries'.

"I have never heard of such a place." He remarked.

"That's because it's just a front, Master." Nakumo explained. "A mask to hide what's really going on inside."

"Then we must go to this 'Mirage Industries' and reclaim what belongs to me." Shredder decided. "And eliminate anyone that stands in our way!"


	18. The End Begins

_My name is Michelangelo. Ever since we first went up to the surface, we've dealt with a lot of crazy stuff. Robo-mouse traps, an evil ninja clan, and an entire race of alien brains. And right now, those brain aliens are making their move. They're planning on unleashing a giant evil spaceship that will turn our world into Kraang central, and the best, last, and only hope for the human race, rests on me and my brothers. So yeah, no pressure or anything._

...

Mirage Industries was busier than it had probably ever been. Kraang droids were running around like crazy, double checking and triple checking calculations and data as they prepared for their ultimate plan. While the preparations were underway, a single Kraang Droid marched through the building, the Sword of Tengu clutched in its mechanical hands.

"It would seem that Kraang was successful in retrieving the artifact that is needed for Kraang." one Kraang noted.

"Affirmative."

"That which is known as the timing of Kraang is that which is known as ideal. Kraang Prime is demanding an update from Kraang."

The Kraang all seemed to pause for a second, each and every bot.

"Kraang Prime is seeking that which is known as an update?"

"Affirmative."

If the Kraang had larynxes, all of them would have gulped. They all turned to a large screen which turned on and featured another Kraang in a larger black body with some kind of visor on his eyes.

"What is your progress Kraang?" Kraang Prime demanded.

"The plan that is known as the plan of Kraang is that which is known as on schedule."

"Kraang has recovered the piece that is known as the final piece that is needed to complete the plan that is the plan of Kraang."

"Excellent." Kraang Prime let out. "Then send it through the portal, and then the invasion of earth can begin."

"Kraang! Kraang! Kraang!" the Kraang chanted.

…

Inside Donnie's lab, he was working on a new project to help in their fight against the Kraang. April walked inside to see what he was working on.

"You seem busier than usual, Don." April commented. "Whatcha working on?"

"Well I've been working on using some of the leftover Kraang tech I've salvaged to create a frequency scanner." Donnie explained. "All of the Kraang droids are equipped with some sort of radio communication, and if I can hack into it, not only can we listen in on their conversations, but we could also track their movements."

Just then, something seemed to be coming on his screen. Donnie's eyes went wide as he quickly tried to hone in on the signal.

"It looks like..." he stated looking at the screen before his eyes went wide, "... oh no."

…

Out in the living room, Leo was watching the final episode of Space Heroes. The Dauntless was taking heavy fire from oncoming enemies.

 _"Captain! The destruct-inators are closing in!"_ Crankshaw shouted.

 _"I've got an idea!"_ Ryan told them. _"It's crazy, it's illegal on thirteen solar systems, and my mother would most assuredly disapprove, but it just might work. But we need to get everyone to the escape pods."_

The crew then immediately began piling out of the bridge. Crankshaw then looked back to see Ryan still in his seat.

 _"Captain, aren't you coming?"_ Crankshaw asked.

 _"A good captain always goes down with the ship."_ Ryan explained.

 _"Sir, it's been an honor to-"_

Ryan then slapped Crankshaw across the face, silencing them.

 _"Just go!"_ Ryan demanded.

As the rest of the crew left, Ryan just sat there and readied himself for the final battle. Watching starry eyed from his seat in front of the TV, Leo let out a sigh to show how impressed he was.

"What a hero." Leo marveled.

Just then, the TV turned off. Leo looked behind him to see Donnie holding the remote.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked irritated. "That's the final episode of Space Heroes."

"I got something a little bigger over here." Donnie countered. "Now come on, the others are waiting."

…

Inside the lab, the other turtles and April were huddled around Donnie at the computer.

"I was able to whip up this frequency scanner to monitor the Kraang's communications and… well listen." Donnie told them.

Donnie then pressed a few keys on his computer cueing up a Kraang transmission.

"The final stage of the invasion that is known as the invasion of Kraang will commence in the amount of earth time units known as six hours. That which is known as the Technodrome will come through the portal."

"I heard 'Kraang' 'Invasion' and 'Technodrome' so I'm just gonna assume that it's bad." Mikey said.

"It is Mikey." Donnie confirmed. "In six hours that Technodrome thing is coming through the portal. This is the final stage of the Kraang invasion."

"The Sword of Tengu must have been the last thing they needed." Leo deduced. "And now that they have it…"

"There's nothing stopping them from terraforming our world." Donnie finished.

"So you're saying that… the Kraang have won?" April questioned.

The others were silent for a moment. Then Leo got a serious look on his face.

"Not yet." Leo declared. "We just need to shut that portal down. It's up to us."

"You mean the four of us have to save the world?" Mikey asked.

"Oh sure," Raph said sarcastically. "That'll be fun."

"Leonardo is right." Splinter said entering the room. "When you four first went up to the surface, I feared you were not ready for the challenges the world above would pose. Now I see that you were not only ready to become heroes, it was your destiny. if the fate of the world must rest in someone's hands, then I am grateful it is yours."

The turtles looked at their Sensei, then at each other. All of them had serious faces and then went off to prepare.

"Leonardo," Splinter called. "May I speak with you?"

"Of course Sensei." Leo replied, walking back to him. "What is it?"

"I just ask you to be diligent in leading your brothers today." Splinter told him. "With the fate of the world at stake, the only thing of importance is that you complete your mission."

"Hai Sensei."

"No matter what you have to sacrifice… or who."

Leo was a bit taken aback by his Sensei's words, but gave a nod of understanding.

"Hai… Sensei."

With that, he went off to join his brothers in preparation for the final battle.

…

Karai ran the sharpening stone across her sword, checking the edge for any imperfection.

…

Donnie was going over the schematics of Mirage Industries, looking for security cameras and possible entry points.

…

Nakumo slid his swords into his sheaths, tightening a mask over his face.

…

Raph loaded himself up with weapons. In addition to his sai, he had Kama, throwing stars, kunai, brass knuckles, and a few smoke bombs.

…

Splinter sat in the dojo meditating in front of a picture of himself and his Master Yoshi.

…

Shredder finished sharpening his claws to perfection. After he was finished, he placed his helmet back on ready to reclaim his stolen weapon.

…

Donnie finished working on another invention to help them infiltrate the building. He had just finished locking the wings into place as Leo came up to look at his progress.

…

The Foot Clan gathered all of the weapons they had, ensuring that all of them were armed to the teeth.

…

Mikey pulled off a sheet hiding an old invention that could help turn the tide, Metalhead.

…

Finally, the turtles assembled in the garage above the lair and with one final goodbye to Master Splinter and April, they were ready.

"Alright guys," Leo addressed. "Let's save the world."

The turtles then piled into the Battle Shell and pulled out, leaving Splinter and April alone. There was a question April had about the situation. A question she couldn't keep to herself anymore.

"Uh Master Splinter," April spoke up. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Splinter replied.

April paused for a moment trying to figure out how to put this.

"Why aren't you going with them?" she questioned. "This is a big mission, bigger than anything they've faced before. Are you sure they can handle it alone?"

"... I have every confidence in them and their abilities." Splinter replied. "And besides, I am their teacher. It is my job to prepare them for the challenges they face."

"I get that, for certain missions" April replied. "But now the fate of the world is at stake here. Don't you think that-?"

"Enough!" Splinter interrupted. "I do not need to explain my reasons to you!"

Splinter then turned to go back down to the lair, feeling a sense of regret and uneasiness in his heart. April just stood there feeling both taken aback by Splinter's words, and worried for her reptilian friends.

…

Meanwhile on the streets of the city, the Battle Shell sped through town on its way to its occupant's desired destination.

"So do we have a plan here?" Raph asked. "Or are we just gonna go in and punch a lot of Kraang? Not that I'm complaining."

"We do have a plan." Leo told him while at the wheel. "We get inside Mirage Industries and use the micro-fission-omni-disrupter. Which, according to Donnie, should be able to take out the portal in a single shot."

"Kinda makes you wonder why we didn't use it last time." Mikey shared.

"That's because we didn't have it last time." Donnie reminded. "Not to mention we were trying to help a friend get home, not blow up the portal."

Mikey froze up for a moment.

"Oh yeah."

"And we're sure this plan will work?" Raph asked.

"It has to." Leo told him. "It's not like we have a plan B."

"Fair enough." Raph admitted.

…

In the lobby of Mirage Industries, Kraang Droids marched in a synchronized pattern, guarding the entrance carefully, especially after what happened last time. Suddenly, the sound of screeching tires permeated the air. They all turned to see the Battle Shell ramming through the front door into the lobby, taking out several Kraang droids in the process.

"Why is the device that is the device in that which is known as the lobby attacking Kraang?"

"Destroy the device in that which is known as the lobby attacking Kraang!"

All the Kraang then opened fire on the Battle Shell. The vehicle just sat there it took on endless blaster bolts. After a nearly a minute of firing, the Kraang stopped and some walked towards the van to see if the occupants had survived. As a few came up to the back, something fast came out of the back, taking out several Kraang droids in the process. The object then returned to the back as Metalhead came rocketing out.

"Booyakasha!" Donnie yelled over the intercom as Metalhead punched a Kraang in the face.

As Metalhead landed, he activated his laser blaster and opened fire on every Kraang in sight. Some Kraang tried to attack from behind, but Metalhead just turned around and activated his flamethrower on them.

"I see you!" Donnie called out as he incinerated them.

…

On a rooftop a few miles away from Mirage Industries, Donnie was monitoring the events happening on his wrist computer.

"Nice call sending in the tin toy first." Raph remarked.

"Thanks." Donnie replied. "This will keep the Kraang occupied while we make our move."

"So how are we gonna get in?" Mikey asked.

"With my latest invention." Donnie replied side stepping.

Behind him were several harnesses with wings on them and fans attached. The turtles smiled at the prospect.

…

Moments later, the turtles were soaring through the air on their new glider packs. All the turtles were exclaiming joyously at their brother's latest creation.

"Donnie!" Leo yelled. "These things are awesome!"

"I know right!" Donnie yelled back.

"You know what this means right?" Mikey asked. "The world's first midair high three!"

The turtles flew together and high three'd before continuing to their destination.

"Hey Mikey, no Booyakasha?" Donnie asked.

"Well to be honest I'm kinda wanting to try something else." Mikey explained. "How about this. Yabba Dab-"

Donnie bumped into Mikey cutting him off.

"Nah," Donnie answered. "It's just not you."

…

As the turtles flew through the city, Karai was watching them through a pair of binoculars.

"Karai," Shredder said walking up to her. "What is the status of the buildings security?"

"It's about to have a lot of holes in it." Karai remarked.

"How so?" Shredder asked.

"Because the turtles are about to do our dirty work for us."

"Really?" Shredder mused. "This makes things all the more interesting."

…

On the side of the building, the turtles flew up and landed on the ledge. As they start to round the corner, they saw two Kraang keeping watch.

"It is quiet." one Kraang observed. "Precisely the correct amount of quiet."

"Hey Kraang!" Mikey yelled.

The two Kraang turned as Mikey began doing a variety of distracting things ranging from sticking his tongue out to dancing to a tune he hummed. The two Kraang aimed their blasters at him as he backed away until he finally fell off the edge. The two went to go check on him, only to see him hanging onto the wall with a pair of climbing claws. He gave them a wave, then pointed over towards the corner he'd come from. The Kraang turned just in time to see Donnie charging at them spinning his staff before swinging it at them sending them flying off the building and falling to the street below.

"This is going to leave that which is known as a mark." One Kraang deduced.

"Affirmative." the other Kraang agreed before they made contact with the pavement.

As Mikey made his way up, Donnie made it over to a window and took out a specially made glass cutter to cut a hole in a window. Once the hole was made, Don reached inside and undid the latch before pulling the window up. One by one, the turtles made their way inside, unaware of the sinister forces following them.

…

Inside the portal room, several Kraang were making final preparations while many others were standing guard. The turtles quietly repealed from the rafters into the room. Since the hole from their last visit wasn't fixed yet, they could breathe easily.

"Great," Raph remarked observing the numerous Kraang droids. "Looks like the Kraang learned their lesson after we broke in the last time."

"Don't worry," Donnie reassured. "If all goes to plan, we'll be gone before they even know we were here."

With that, Leo took out the disruptor and prepared to fire.

"Alright guys," Leo declared. "This all ends in…3...2..."

As Leo was counting, he casually took out a kunai. He got a glance in the reflection revealing Shredder barreling towards them. Instinctively, Raph leapt forward and pushed his brothers out of the way before Shredders claw made contact. As all of them rolled on the ground, the Kraang looked over and saw the undesired company. Not wanting to waste any more time, Leo took the disrupter and took a shot at the portal. The blast arched through the room towards the portal… where it fizzled uselessly against the shield surrounding the portal. The turtles all blinked in surprise, then turned to Donnie.

"There's a force field?!" Leo exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me there was a force field?!"

"Well obviously, I want our plan to save the entire human race to fail." Donny replied. "OBVIOUSLY, I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS THERE!"

While they were arguing, the Kraang were priming their blasters and Shredder got to his feet with Karai and Nakumo landing on either side of him, and several Foot Ninja landing behind them.

"Thanks for leading us to the Kraang, Leonardo." Karai said with a wry grin. "You saved us a lot of trouble."

"It is the ones called the turtles and the ones called the Foot Clan." one Kraang observed.

"All non- Kraang parties are in the place they are not allowed to be." another Kraang added.

"Desired action: destroy all non- Kraang!" a third Kraang declared.

"Foot Ninja, attack!" Shredder ordered. "Destroy them all!"

With that, the Foot, the Kraang, and the turtles had at each other in an epic three way battle.

"You guys picked a really bad time for this." Leo said irritated.

"I don't think they care Leo!" Raph exclaimed blocking a Foot sword. "So about that plan B?"

"Donnie?" Leo asked turning to his other brother.

"Let me think." Donnie replied swatting away both Foot and Kraang alike.

"Think faster!" Mikey screamed. "We're getting our shells handed to us!"

Donnie blocked one Foot sword before kicking him away and turning around spinning his staff deflecting oncoming blaster fire.

"I think I can hack the mainframe to shut down the force field if you guys give me enough time!"

"How much time do you need?" Leo asked, narrowly avoiding getting fried by some Kraang.

"Um… 5 minutes maybe." Donnie answered.

"We'll try." Leo replied.

With that, Donnie made his way across the battlefield and towards the computer. He smacked away the Kraang stationed there before finally gaining access to the terminal.

"Alright, no pressure Donatello." He whispered to himself. "You just need to turn off the force field so Leo can blow up the portal, or all life on earth as you know it will cease to exist…."

…

Back at the lair, Splinter was sitting in the dojo, looking over an old picture. April was standing outside the entryway, trying to muster up the courage to enter.

"It is alright Ms. O'Neil," Splinter called out. "You may enter."

April perked up, wondering how he knew she was there, but quickly brushed it off as one of his ninja tricks. She walked in, approaching Splinter cautiously.

"Sensei?" April began. "I- I came to apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have pushed you like that."

"No," Splinter replied. "It is I who should apologize to you. You only said what was in your heart. I had no cause to snap at you like that."

April nodded a bit, then noticed the picture in Splinter's hands. Her eyebrow raised a bit as she noticed it.

"What's that?" she questioned.

"That is my old master," Splinter answered. "Hamato Yoshi. His wife Tang Shen, and their child, Miwa. This picture was taken before Shredder…"

April winced a bit, then slid across the floor to where she was sitting next to him.

"... It is one of the few things I was able to salvage from his old home."

"They look so happy." April commented. "And Tang Shen looks beautiful. No wonder he and Nagi fought over her."

"Yes." Splinter agreed.

"You miss them, don't you?"

"Every day."

April looked at Splinter, then at the photo again.

"You know, I may not have gotten to know him, but something tells me that Yoshi wouldn't want you to just sit here while your family is out fighting for the world."

"Perhaps…" Splinter admitted. "But I can't help but feel what happened years ago could happen again. I barely survived the loss of one family, I couldn't bear to lose another."

April stood up, smoothing out her clothes.

"There's always the chance that the guys won't return." April pointed out. "Every time they leave the lair to do what you trained them to do, there is that chance that they won't make it back. However, would you rather them hide down here while the world burns?"

Splinter just sat there, pondering the words April had offered him.

…

Outside Mirage Industries, the guardian that encountered Leo before observed the top of the building and the flashing lights that emanated from it. Having a pretty good idea what was happening up there, he activated his holographic watch.

"Sir, it would seem that the turtles are engaging against the Kraang, as well as against the Foot Ninjas."

 _"The Kraang must be making their move."_ the man on the other end deduced.

"Indeed. What are your orders?"

 _"You know your duty Guardian, stop the Kraang."_

…

Back inside, the turtles were having their hands full dealing with both the Kraang and the Foot. Mikey was bouncing around trying to avoid the sword slashes of Nakumo. As Mikey landed, Nakumo kicked him in the chest knocking him to the ground. As Nakumo tried bringing his sword down on him, Mikey brought up his nunchaku, using his chain to block the sword.

"How's it coming Don?!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Working on it!" Donnie yelled.

"Well work faster!" Mikey yelled back shoving Nakumo off.

Leo meanwhile was dealing with a fixated Karai. He kept deflecting her blade strikes as they both danced around stray blaster fire.

"What are you guys even doing here?!" Leo asked.

"You took something that belongs to us." Karai reminded him. "We want it back."

"The sword?" Leo deduced. "Kinda a 180 considering you helped us with that ca-"

Karai's sword came down on him at a blinding speed, cutting him off before he could complete his sentence.

"That sword was forged by my ancestor, and rightfully belongs to the Oroku family!" She exclaimed. "And I refuse to leave it in the hands of these Star Trek rejects!"

Raph meanwhile, was just finishing off a Kraang droid when Shredder landed right in front of him.

"Looks like I just leveled up to the boss fight." Raph remarked smirking.

"Your childish banter will not save you from my wrath." Shredder growled.

"Bring it on!" Raph challenged drawing his sai.

Raph then charged at him while throwing one throwing star and kunai after another. Each one was easily deflected by Shredder. Finally, the two opponents met, and Raph's sai clashed with Shredder's claw. The two pushed off and had at each other again, their weapons clashing with each other again and again. Shredder swung high at Raph, but he quickly ducked under it. Raph tried sweeping at his legs, but Shredder quickly stepped out of the way. The two locked weapons again and Shredder kicked Raph down to the ground. Shredder wasted no time leaping onto him and the two rolled around for a bit struggling to get a hit in. Raph just happened to look up and see they were right near the portal. Mustering all his strength, Raph got a leg under Shredder and kicked him off, and launching him right into the portal. Nakumo and Karai saw this and panicked.

"Master!" Nakumo exclaimed.

"Father!" Karai yelled.

"Well that's one problem down," Leo observed. "How's our other problem coming Don?"

"Almost… got it!" Donnie exclaimed.

With a last keystroke, the force field around the portal dissipated.

"Leo, now!" Donnie screamed.

Leo took out the disruptor and aimed it at the accursed device.

"Say goodnight portal!" Leo declared as the weapon powered up.

Before he could get off a shot however, Karai leapt into the air and came down at Leo, slicing the disruptor, much to the shock of the turtles.

"Karai, you idiot!" Leo practically screamed. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

She didn't answer, she just swung wildly at Leo, forcing him to drop what remained of the disrupter and back step away from the strikes. As she brought another strike down, Raph jumped between the two and blocked the attack with his sai.

"You know what your problem is?" Raph asked irritated. "You can't decide if you want to help us or kill us. Make up your mind!"

"Fine!" Karai exclaimed.

She then shoved him and tried attacking the two of them. Leo quickly drew his own sword and tried dealing a few blows of his own. She was quick to block his attacks before she kicked him in the chest, sending him into a wall. Raph, and eventually Donnie and Mikey came over to him as several Kraang droids started surrounding them.

"Well this doesn't bode well." Donnie stated nervously.

"No one said it was gonna be easy." Raph remarked.

Before another move could be made, the Guardian landed on the ground in front of the turtles, much to their surprise.

"Easy? No." he concurred. "But perhaps we can even the odds."

"We?" Leo asked raising an eyebrow.

That's when a group of about a dozen men, dressed in a similar fashion to the Guardian, landed all around the turtles. Each man brandished a laser sword just like his, and they all turned to the Kraang with hard expressions.

"We." The Guardian repeated.

The men than charged at the Kraang and sliced through their robot bodies like a knife through hot butter, much to the amazement of the turtles.

"That is beyond awesome!" Mikey remarked. "It's… it's interstellar!"

The other turtles looked at him with confused looks.

"I'm trying out a new catchphrase." Mikey explained. "What do you think?"

"Keep working on it." Leo told him.

Just then, the portal started acting up, and a beam of pink energy shot into the sky. What looked like a metal sphere started descending from the clouds.

"Holy giant floating shippy-ship." Mikey let out.

"We have to find another way to take out the portal." Leo told them.

"Like what, Leo?" Raph asked.

Leo thought for a moment before glancing over at the power cell. Then an idea popped into his head… possibly one of the worst ideas he'd ever had, but it was the only one they had.

"Donnie, what would happen if I ruptured the power cell?" Leo asked.

"It would probably blow up the whole building," Donnie answered. "Including us!"

"... Tell the guardians to pull back then get out of here!" Leo ordered.

"Leo, please don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking." Donnie pleaded.

Leo didn't just respond, he just bolted.

"He's thinking it!"

"Then let's do what he says!" Raph told him before running towards one of the guardians. "Leo's got a plan to take out the portal but we all gotta get out of here!"

The Guardian nodded, then looked to his companions. Though not a word was spoken amongst them, they all seemed to get the message. One by one, they all launched themselves towards the way they'd come in, escaping the building. Nakumo and Karai picked up on this, both of them deciding staying wasn't the wisest course of action. As the two ninjas bolted, Leo dashed across the room towards two Kraang droids. He sliced them both in half and grabbed one of their blasters. He then aimed it at the power cell.

"Booyakasha mother Kraangers."

He then fired the blaster. Everything seemed in slow-mo as the bolt soared across the room before making contact with the crystal. It connected, causing a ripple of energy to course through the building, followed by a loud explosion. As the building went up, Leo made a mad dash towards the window and leapt out before the entire room exploded. Leo then started falling to the ground at an alarming rate. Before he hit pavement though, Raph came gliding towards him, intercepting him. The two then flew to a nearby rooftop where Donnie, Mikey, and even the guardian were waiting for them.

"Nice save bro." Mikey said as the two landed.

"Leo that was probably one of the craziest things you've ever done!" Donnie yelled.

"Hey, it worked didn't it?" Leo countered.

"Doesn't change how incredibly insane that was." Donnie countered right back.

"Nevertheless," the guardian interrupted. "You four have done well today."

"He's right guys," Leo agreed. "We saved the world."

"Yeah, that wasn't so hard." Mikey added.

As they were talking, a large shadow started overtaking them. They all looked up to see a giant spherical spacecraft looming over them. Their joyous smiles faded away to horrified gasps.

"I really gotta stop saying stuff like that."


	19. Assault on the Technodrome

_My name is Raphael. There's an old saying that goes "Don't count your chickens before they hatch". If you ask me, the saying should be "Don't celebrate your victory until you've made sure that your enemy has been properly destroyed."_

 _It's a bit on the wordy side, but it definitely fits what's going on now. When we set out to take out the Kraang portal we knew it wouldn't be easy, but we didn't count on Shred-head showing up with his Foot posse to reclaim the Sword of Tengu from the Kraang. And after we sent his sorry butt into the portal, we didn't expect Karai to destroy the only chance he had of taking down the portal. Fortunately, Leo was on top of things when he took out the power cell._

 _We'd thought we'd succeeded in taking down the Kraang's plan to wipe out humanity. Unfortunately, we just succeeded in destroying the portal AFTER they brought their superweapon, the Technodrome, through. This is just not our night._

...

Utter horror. That's what the turtles felt as the Technodrome made its way across the sky. Even the guardian felt uneasy at the sight before him

"What the heck is that thing?" Raph asked.

"Short version: It's the end of the world." Leo told him.

"Actually, it's just the end of humanity's reign as the planet's dominant life form." Donnie corrected. "You know like when the dinosaurs-"

"Donnie, as fascinating as that is," Raph interrupted walking over to him. "We don't have time for a SCIENCE LECTURE!"

"Well excuse me," Donnie replied. "BUT IT'S HOW I DEAL WITH STRESS!"

"Guys, enough!" Leo snapped. "We don't have time for this."

"So anyone got any ideas on how to take down a giant flying disco ball of death?" Mikey asked.

"Unfortunately, I have no clue." Donnie admitted.

"Then let's get back to the lair and talk to Master Splinter." Leo told them.

With that, the turtles made their way back to the lair. Even the guardian departed to report the situation to his superior in the hopes that there might be a solution to be found.

…

It didn't take long for the turtles to make it back to the lair, where Splinter and April were sitting in the dojo, just sipping on some tea.

"You're back." April said, getting up to greet them.

"Yeah, and unfortunately it's not for a good reason." Leo told them.

"What happened?" Splinter asked.

"Karai screwed us over!" Raph exclaimed. "And thanks to her, the Kraang's plan succeeded!"

"Karai was there?" Splinter questioned

"Yeah, Shredder and his ninja pack crashed the party." Raph told him. "Though old Shred-head's choking on the toxic fumes of Dimension X, so at least there's that."

"Maybe, but considering the Technodrome was seconds away from coming through the portal," Donnie surmised. "There is a 73.582 percent chance that he could have hitched a ride, though that's just speculation at this point."

"Shredder or no Shredder, the Technodrome presents the bigger threat." Leo declared. "So how do we take it down?"

"Yeah, there doesn't seem to be any way to bring it down from the outside, is there?" Mikey asked.

"Let me go over the schematics I pulled from that drive Mikey grabbed." Donnie said. "There may be a way to bring it down from the inside."

"Whoa, are you kidding me?" Raph asked as Donnie went to his lab. "We just got away from that thing, now we have to break in?"

"You got a better plan?" Leo asked.

Raph thought for a minute, then let out a groan.

…

On a rooftop on the surface, Nakumo and Karai looked on as the Technodrome cruised through the city.

"So this is why the Kraang wanted the sword." Nakumo mused. "How interesting."

"Forget the ship!" Karai snapped. "Where did the turtles go?!"

"Probably sleeking back to the sewers where they came from." Nakumo assumed.

"Those cowards..." She sneered. "I'm going to turn them into turtle soup for what they did to my father."

 _"Karai. Nakumo."_ a voice on their communicators rang out, much to their surprise.

"Father?"

"Master? You live?"

 _"Yes. As I was knocked into the portal by those accursed turtles, I landed on the craft they brought through. I managed to sneak onboard. I need you two here now!"_

"But how, Father?" Karai asked. "How do we get onboard?"

As if on cue, several pods ejected from the Technodrome and descended to the streets below, snatching up several people.

 _"Kraang must collect specimens for Kraang."_ a voice called out on a loudspeaker.

The two looked at this with an expression of understanding.

"That might work." Nakumo admitted.

They then jumped off the roof towards the descending pods.

…

"Guys I think I may have found our way in." Donnie declared.

The others piled in to see the results Donnie came up with.

"From the looks of these schematics, the Technodrome is equipped with several pods designed to gather up specimens for mutagen testing." he explained. "No doubt the Kraang have already released them onto the city."

"So?" Raph asked. "How does that help us?"

"We can grab one and hitch a ride into the Technodrome." Donnie answered.

"We'll need a way to get a hold of one." Leo decided.

"If only we knew a human we could ask to lure one to us." Mikey mused.

Rolling his eyes, Donnie grabbed Mikey's head turning him to April. Mikey then snapped his fingers.

"I think I have an idea on how we can get a hold of a pod." Mikey exclaimed.

"Really?" Donnie asked sarcastically. "Do enlighten us."

"April could lure one of those pods to us so we can hitch a ride." Mikey told him.

"Gee I never would have guessed." Donnie replied dripping with sarcasm.

"Only if you're up for it April." Leo said turning to her.

"You kidding?" April asked. "I was hoping I would be able to do more than sit around drinking tea."

"Then let's get going." Leo told them.

"Are you sure about this April?" Splinter asked as they started towards the exit. "It may prove dangerous."

"More than sure." she told him. "I can't just do nothing, not while they need me."

With that, she joined the turtles as they went up to the garage. Splinter just stood there, considering everything April had said, both just now, and earlier that day. He finally came to a decision.

…

Up in the garage, the turtles and April made their way to the Battle Shell.

"Last we saw, the Technodrome was heading down Lexington." Donnie told them. "If we hurry we could still catch up to it."

"Then you might want to take Brooklyn." April suggested. "Everyone else will be on the freeway attempting to get out of the city, and Brooklyn will be the clearest street."

"Wait!" Splinter called, getting the attention of everyone.

"Look Master Splinter, my mind is made up." April insisted.

"I am coming with you." Splinter told them.

"What?" they all asked.

"You were right," Splinter told April. "I cannot stand idly by while the world goes into chaos. Especially if my sons insist on being in the middle of it."

"And on the off chance that Shredder survived the transfer?" Donnie asked.

"... I have long awaited to avenge my Master Yoshi. Now maybe the time."

"Then let's go!" Leo declared.

Piling into the Battle Shell, the six of them raced off towards the Technodrome.

…

Meanwhile, Nakumo and Karai managed to commandeer their own pod and flew up to the ship. They kept low, just in case any of the Kraang recognized them from Mirage Industries. The pod then brought them inside the Technodrome. Once they made sure they were safe they tried jumping out, only to find themselves floating in the air.

"What the hell?" Karai hissed. "Did the Kraang forget to pay the gravity bill or something?"

"I don't know nor do I care." Nakumo replied. "Let's just find Master Shredder and get out of this thing."

Karai nodded and the two tried to move about the corridor, to varying degrees of success.

…

Back on the ground, April peaks around a corner, spying a bunch of Kraang Droids surrounding one of the pods that they needed. The pod landed near her and several Kraang droids stepped out.

"You are to be taken by Kraang as a specimen for Kraang." one Kraang told her.

"Oh no!" April called out in obviously fake fear. "Please, don't take me to as a specimen!"

As the Kraang moved in closer, several smoke bombs dropped around them. As they were engulfed in smoke, five fast moving figures moved in and reduced the Kraang to scrap metal.

As the smoke cleared, the turtles and Splinter stood victorious over the fallen aliens. Raph was even spinning his sai with a Kraang head on it.

"Nice work guys." Leo congratulated. "April, you better take cover. This might get intense."

"Good luck guys."

She took cover behind a dumpster as the turtles and Splinter climbed into the pod. As Donnie messed with the controls inside, the pod began rising off the ground towards the menacing battle station before them. Feelings of nervousness and dread filled each of them as they entered the Technodrome.

"Dudes, it is so much more menacing up close." Mikey whispered.

"Don't lose your nerve, little brother." Raph told him.

They continued through the Technodrome through a massive corridor with other pods being taken into different holes in the walls.

"Looks like this is our stop." Donnie decided.

"Alright guys," Leo said as he opened the pod. "Here we go."

They all leapt out, and soon found themselves floating rather than falling.

"I think the Kraang forgot to pay their gravity bill." Mikey jeered before pausing in confusion. "Why do I feel like I made a callback to something I didn't hear?"

"The Kraang must be generating anti-gravitons." Donnie deduced.

"Can you make anti-anti-gravitons?" Leo asked.

"You mean gravitons?" Donnie asked for clarification.

"Yeah, those." Leo replied.

"No." Donnie answered.

Raph meanwhile, was trying to move around, but having extreme difficulty.

"It's official," Raph remarked. "Ninjas were not made for zero gravity."

"A ninja must adapt to all his surroundings." Splinter instructed. "Even the most unusual ones."

With that, Splinter braced himself against a ball and bounced off, soaring across the room. He continued doing this making his way down the corridor.

"Sensei's got the right idea guys." Leo told them mimicking his moves.

The other turtles followed suit and bounced across the room.

"So this is what the little metal balls in the pinball machine feel like." Mikey joked.

…

Nakumo and Karai finally made it to a part of the Technodrome that had regular gravity and continued trying to find Shredder.

"Father, where are you?" Karai questioned.

"Here."

Nakumo and Karai turned to see Shredder stepped out from a shadowed corner, much to their delight. Karai ran up to him, forgetting herself for a moment as she ran to hug him. He wasted no time in returning the gesture.

"It is good to see you well master." Nakumo said bowing. "Now we can depart from this accursed place."

"Oh I have no intention of leaving just yet." Shredder replied pulling out of the hug.

"Father?"

"My time in this battle station has shown me its power. It's potential." Shredder explained. "If this station's capabilities were placed in the right hands, they could be unstoppable."

"What are you saying master?" Nakumo asked.

"I am saying we must seize control of this war machine." Shredder answered clenching his fist. "By any means necessary."

…

Meanwhile, the turtles and Splinter continued making their way through the Technodrome, bouncing in the zero-g's.

"Dude, zero-g is awesome!" Mikey exclaimed. "They should totally turn this into a carnival ride!"

"I think the Kraang want to use it to take over the world, Mikey." Donnie argued.

"They could do both." Mikey countered.

"Alright," Leo interrupted. "Donnie which way do we go?"

Donnie then pulled out his shell cell, since he had downloaded the Technodrome schematics to it earlier, and took a look.

"According to this, the bridge to the Technodrome should be above us and just ahead." Donnie told them.

Raph then bounced up to the ceiling and used a sai to pry open a tile. One by one, the turtles and Splinter climbed up to the next floor. Much to their surprise, the floor had normal gravity.

"Guess with all the delicate instruments in here, gravity is essential." Donnie mused.

"Where to now?" Leo asked.

"Down this corridor." Donnie told him, pointing off to their left. "C'mon. We don't have much time."

The five mutants continued making their way down the hallway, carefully avoiding detection from the Kraang. They then saw two Kraang droids walk up to a large set of double doors that pulled apart as they walked up to it. As the two walked in, the turtles and Splinter got a glimpse of the massive computers and large viewing screen overlooking the city inside before it closed.

"I think it's safe to say we found the bridge." Raph stated.

"Well it's too late to turn back now." Leo told them.

"Now we just have to figure out how to get in." Donnie proposed.

"Chillax dudes," Mikey reassured. "I got this."

…

In the bridge, all the Kraang present were going about their duties when a knocking emanated from the door.

"What is the desired purpose of the action that is known as knocking on the door which is the door of Kraang?"

"Uh… room service!" Mikey replied in a girly voice.

"Kraang did not request the service that is known as room service."

"Um… yeah you did." Mikey insisted, causing eye rolls and face palms from his brothers.

"Kraang, allow the service that is known as room service to enter the bridge of Kraang."

The Kraang Droid opened the door to the bridge, which allowed for Mikey to deliver a swift kick to the face.

"Aw yeah!" he exclaimed. "I straight up ninja-d ya fool! Chimichanga!"

The other turtles just groaned at that remark.

"Still trying to work on that new catchphrase." Mikey explained. "What do you think?"

"I think it physically hurts to listen to you sometimes." Raph told him.

"Agreed." Donnie and Leo said in unison.

The others entered the room and struck a fighting stance as all the Kraang glared down at them. Their attention however, was drawn to the massive, black, Kraang body descending from a staircase leading to the viewing screen towards them.

"So these are the turtles that have been meddling in my plans." the Kraang said sort of belching on the last word.

"A Kraang that speaks proper English?" Donnie questioned.

"I am the first Kraang." the Kraang explained. "I am the ruler and the thought giver to all Kraang! But you may call me, Kraang Prime!"

"Seriously?" Mikey asked. "That's what you're going with? Kraang Prime? I betcha I can come up with a better name."

He tapped his chin, trying to think of one.

"Give me a sec… I got nothing."

Leo just rolled his eyes at that.

"Leader or no leader, he's just another Kraang." Leo told them. "Let's take them down!"

With that, the turtles and their rat master charged at the aliens for their final battle. Leo sliced through several Kraang droids with his swords as he made his way to Kraang Prime. He leapt into the air and tried bringing them down on Kraang Prime, but Kraang Prime just swatted him away.

Mikey bashed several Kraang droids with his Nunchucks before extending his chain wrapping around another Kraang droid. He then pulled it close to him before slicing it in half with his bladed end. Mikey then turned to his attention to Kraang Prime while spinning his chain overhead. He then threw his chain at Kraang Prime, wrapping around his arm. Seeing this, Kraang Prime grabbed hold of the chain and pulled Mikey towards him. As Mikey came close, Kraang Prime backhanded him, sending him flying into a wall.

Donnie smacked several Kraang droids with his staff as he made his way across the room, he even activated the blade end of his staff to slice several others to pieces. He then turned towards Kraang Prime and swung his staff at him from behind. Kraang Prime just spun his torso around smacking him in the process. Donnie got back up and tried thrusting his bladed end at him. Kraang Prime just grabbed the end of the staff and punched him in the face.

Raph rammed his sai into one Kraang droid and tossed it into three more oncoming Kraang, knocking them down. He then charged at Kraang Prime, Sais drawn back. As Raph ran up, Kraang Prime spun around so fast, a fist sent Raph flying. As Raph made contact with the wall, Kraang Prime came up and wrapped his hand around his throat.

"Soon the Kraang will suffer from you tortoises no more." Kraang Prime declared.

"We're turtles," Raph grunted. "Not tortoises. There's a difference."

"Yeah," Leo added running up to him and jumping up in the air, sword drawn back. "Turtles… Fight!"

As he spoke, Leo sliced Kraang Prime's hand, freeing Raph.

Splinter meanwhile, had taken out the bladed end of his staff and sliced apart every Kraang droid he saw. Several Kraang droids tried to blast at him, but he kept jumping around avoiding the blast. He then leapt at them, landing on top of one before spinning around slicing two at once. He just stood there as the two droids fell apart.

"I'm not out just yet!" Kraang Prime declared raising his broken arm.

Just then, a panel on the floor opened up, and a large mace raised up. It then, flew towards Kraang Prime as if it was pulled to him and attached to his arm perfectly.

"Uh guys," Mikey spoke up. "He is literally rearming himself."

"And I thought the arms race was over." Raph remarked.

Kraang Prime then began swing his mace arm wildly at the turtles, causing them to duck under the strikes. Raph tried jumping at Kraang Prime, but he just smacked the red turtle away. Kraang Prime then raised his mace arm and tried bring it down on him, only for it to be blocked by Splinter. As the rat master served as a distraction, Leo and Mikey leapt onto both of Kraang Prime's arms. Kraang Prime struggled to get the two off before spinning his torso around wildly. Both Leo and Mikey held on for all their lives as they were taken for the ultimate ride, much to their dismay.

"Leo!" Mikey yelled. "I don't think I'm tall enough to ride this ride!"

"Just hold on Mikey!" Leo called back.

Finally, Leo and Mikey were thrown off, Leo hit a wall first with Mikey flying right into each other.

"You're too late mutants." Kraang Prime told him looking up.

The turtles and Splinter looked up to see the Sword of Tengu in some kind of containment device being raised up into the ceiling, much to their horror.

…

Outside the Technodrome, a giant sphere resembling a human eye raised up from the top. Pink energy started surging from it as the people below started running in terror.

…

"Soon the planetary mutation will begin." Kraang Prime told them. "And all will belong to Kraang!"

"You won't get away with this you walking piece of chewing gum!" Raph yelled.

"Pathetic sub-lifeforms." Kraang Prime said belching the last word as he turned to him. "As long as I command this station, the age of the Kraang will rise!"

Just then, the doors to the bridge blew open and several throwing stars shot out, taking out several Kraang droids. The remaining Kraang, the turtles, Splinter, and Kraang Prime turned to the smoke as it cleared, revealing Shredder with Nakumo and Karai on either side of him.

"And as long as I live," Shredder spoke raising a fist and extending a claw. "None of you will leave this place alive!"

"Aw give me a break." Mikey griped.

With that, Shredder leapt into the air, slicing apart several Kraang droids as he did so. He then quickly delivered a kick to a recovering Donnie's head before making a beeline for Splinter. Splinter quickly brought up his blade just before Shredder made contact, blocking him.

"I have been looking forward to this rematch for quite some time." Shredder taunted.

"There is no time for this Saki!" Splinter yelled. "We must work together to take down this weapon!"

Shredder the brought his arms down lowering both their weapons before pulling an arm free and punching him in the face. Splinter went tumbling on the ground a bit before stopping as Shredder walked over to him.

"I have no intention of destroying it 'Splinter'." Shredder told him. "I intend seizing control of this station for the Foot."

This caught all of the turtles, as well as Splinter, off guard.

"What?!" The five of them exclaimed in unison.

"Once I have disposed of you, I will destroy these creatures assume command of this station, and use its power to assert the Foot's power on this world!"

"Shredder," Mikey said getting up. "You got a messed up sense of priorities."

Shredder just growled at the remark.

"Karai, Nakumo, slay the turtles." Shredder ordered. "This 'rodent' is mine."

"With pleasure, Father." Karai said, her grip on her sword tightening.

With that, Nakumo and Karai bolted at the turtles, weapons primed to kill. The turtles scattered out of the way to avoid the strikes.

"Shredder maybe a threat," Leo admitted. "But we still have to take down the Technodrome."

"I think I can deactivate the mutagen laser." Donnie told them. "I just need those goons off my shell."

"Say no more, Don." Raph replied, gripping his sai.

With that, the turtles dispersed to fight their respective enemies. Raph went at Nakumo and the two locked blades. Nakumo then shoved him off and continued slicing at the turtle, but Raph was quick enough to avoid and block the attacks.

"That all ya got pretty boy?" Raph asked. "Cause I could do this all day."

"Bring it on Freak!" Nakumo challenged.

Mikey meanwhile sprinted over to Kraang Prime and jumped onto his back.

"You're going down, ya even freakier than normal Kraang!" Mikey yelled.

Kraang Prime tried reaching behind him to pull Mikey off, but his efforts were in vain.

"Get off my back you freak." Kraang Prime demanded.

"Make me you overgrown bag of slime!" Mikey taunted, sticking his tongue out at Kraang Prime's antics.

Donnie meanwhile made his way over to the control console and began studying the alien technology, trying to figure out how to deactivate the weapon.

"Oh why didn't I spend more time trying to figure out how Kraang tech worked?" Donnie lamented.

Splinter meanwhile, was put on the defensive a bit as Shredder pressed his attacks on him. As Shredder tried delivering a high kick to his head, Splinter ducked under it and struck Shredder hard in the chest, sending him flying across the room. As Shredder picked himself up, he saw Splinter charging at him and jumping into the air with his blade drawn back. Shredder leapt out of the way before Splinter could bring it down. Splinter then darted at him trying to swing his blade, which Shredder ducked under. Splinter attempted to swing back at him, but Shredder moved his claw behind him blocking him before shoving him off. Splinter tried taking one more swipe, but Shredder just jumped back avoiding it.

"Yes!" Shredder yelled sounding surprisingly joyous. "Fight me, rat!"

Splinter just narrowed his eyes at him before yelling and charging at him again.

Leo meanwhile was pressing the attack on Karai. She seemed to keep up with his attacks effortlessly, only causing more irritation for him.

"What's wrong Leonardo?" Karai asked. "You seem upset about something. Still mad I broke your toy?"

"More mad that you let an alien war machine get loose in our world out of petty spite." Leo retorted. "Other than that, I'm good."

"Well you can blame your brother for that." Karai countered. "After all, I did think he had killed my dad."

"If you ask me, he would've did the world a favor." Leo countered back.

That particular comment seemed to set Karai off, as she leapt at him trying to cut his head off, but he was able to duck under it and swipe his sword at her shoulder. She let out a cry of pain as she landed on the ground.

"You freak!" she screamed, clutching her shoulder as the sleeve of her shirt slid down her arm, revealing it.

While Splinter and Shredder's battle continued, Splinter spotted the fallen Karai out of the corner of his eye. As she stood up and removed her hand, he saw something on her shoulder underneath the wound and the blood beginning to pool. It appeared to be a fair-sized birthmark, one that seemed to form a flower of some sort. It had five petals with a single dot in the middle of each one. It was a symbol Splinter knew by heart, one he had thought he would never see again.

"No…" he let out, "It… can't be…"

Before Splinter could do anything else, Shredder shoved him aside and charged towards Leo.

"How dare you hurt my daughter!"

Leo just barely dodged the Shredder's slashing claw before he blocked the second one with his sword. Shredder then wasted no time spinning around and kicking him in the back, knocking him to the ground. As he was about to bring his claw down on him, Splinter dashed towards him blocking the attack with his blade.

"No!" Splinter yelled. "I already told you I would not let out hurt my sons!"

"Bah!" Shredder dismissed. "You failed to protect your loved ones as a man, what chance have you as a freak?!"

Enraged, Splinter shoved him off and the two clashed their repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Donatello continued pressing buttons on the console trying to deactivate the doomsday weapon which could open fire at any moment. While he was pressing away at the keys, Kraang Prime lumbered towards him with Mikey still on his back. He raised his mace hand and was about to bring it down when Raph happened to glance over as he was locked with Nakumo. Locking his sword in with his sai, he flung it out of Nakumo's hands and right into the back of Kraang Prime's head, taking out one of his eyes. Mikey looked at this in delight.

"Thanks Raph." Mikey called back before pulling out the sword and plunging it into the top of Kraang Prime's head.

Kraang Prime's body dropped to its knees and onto its stomach as Raph kicked Nakumo in the chest sending him skirting across the room.

Donnie then pressed a button on the console and the sound of the powering up weapon began to die away, signifying that the laser had been deactivated.

"I can't believe it." Donnie let out. "I shut down the laser. I did it!"

While the others were distracted, Kraang Prime crawled out of his fallen robot body and crawled over another fallen Kraang body and crawled inside. As he got to his feet, he picked up a discarded blaster and aimed it at Donnie. Mikey noticed this and tossed a throwing star at his arm joint, causing him to aim up and shoot at the ceiling. The bolts freed the sword and it fell onto the control console. The blade stabbed through the metal like butter, the latent energy of the sword coursing through the entire Technodrome. The console then exploded, creating a shockwave that launched everyone back.

...

Outside, the Technodrome began to spark with excess energy, the weapons systems misfiring at random points, and it started descending to the Hudson. Various doors opened up, releasing dozens of different escape pods containing specimens and Kraang alike. From her hiding spot behind a dumpster, April watched the events unfold with no small amount of concern.

"Come on guys..." she muttered, "Get out of there..."

…

Back inside, the occupants of the Technodrome were slowly getting back to their feet. The Kraang present saw the state of their battle station and decided to engage a retreat. Nakumo and Karai saw the aliens running away, then exchanged worried glances.

"Father, we must flee this place!" Karai exclaimed. "It is no longer safe!"

"No!" Shredder yelled. "The Sword of Tengu is still here! I will not leave this place empty handed!"

"But master-" Nakumo started to insist.

"Go now!" Shredder ordered. "I will join you as soon as I claim what is rightfully mine!"

Reluctantly, Nakumo and Karai nodded and ran towards the exit. Shredder then turned to the console where the Sword of Tengu was embedded, running towards it. However, before he could lay hands on it, Splinter jumped in between him and the sword.

"Saki we have no time for this!" Splinter told him. "This whole place is coming down! We would never survive!"

Shredder just responded by swatting him aside.

"Then we shall all perish together!" Shredder declared.

Donnie and Mikey both charged at him, but Shredder grabbed the other end of Mikey's nunchaku as he swung it at him. He then swung him into Don before spinning him around and tossing him into Raph and Leo. Once the turtles were all dispatched Shredder made his way over to the console and picked up the sword, blue electricity surging through his body as he did so.

"Ahhh the power…" Shredder let out. "It is just as great as my ancestors said. The Sword of Tengu. The sword that laid villages to waste, brought castles to ground, vanquished armies!"

The turtles and Splinter just looked on as Shredder swung the sword around.

"The sword that would have allowed my ancestors to conquer Japan, and give ultimate power to the Foot Clan, it belongs to the Shredder once more!"

With that, Shredder shot a bolt of energy at the mutants, causing each of them to collide with the ground and walls. As the turtles were recovering, Shredder walked over to a downed Splinter and pointed the sword at him.

"Goodbye, old friend."

"No!" Leo yelled as he rushed up and used his swords to move the sword upward, causing the bot to hit the ceiling.

Shredder tried to bring the sword down on Leo, but Leo held his blade back with his own with all his might, sweat appearing on his brow from the strain. Raph then ran up and leapt into the air, kicking him in the chest, backing him away.

"Get in close!" Leo told the others. "It's the only way!"

Shredder then fired another bolt at them causing them scatter. Leo landed in front of him, locking the Sword of Tengu down with his own swords. Raph then came up and locked the other end of the sword with his sai and launched it out of his hands into the air. As Shredder desperately reached out for it, Donnie placed his staff between his legs as Mikey kicked him in the chest, sending him into the wall. Splinter then leapt up after it, catching the sword in his own hands. Almost instantly, the energy of the sword began to spark, burning his hands and singing his palms. Still, Splinter gritted his teeth and gripped the sword tightly. He then spun around and fired a bolt of energy at the ceiling just above Shredder. The man looked up at this before turning back to him chuckling.

"Your aim is poor." he remarked

"Is it?" Splinter questioned, unable to keep an air of cunning from his voice.

Shredder raised an eyebrow at this before a cracking sound occurred. He looked up to see the giant eyeball from the top of the Technodrome starting to breaking through. Shredder tried running away, but Raph threw a sai at his foot to hold him in place.

"Let's book!" Leo ordered.

Without a moment's hesitation, the turtles and Splinter made their way out of the room, Splinter dropping the sword on the way out. Shredder meanwhile tried pulling the sai free so he could escape, but to no avail. He looked up one last time to see the eye fully breaking through and crashing towards him. He let out a scream of terror just as the eye crashed on top of him, crushing him.

…

The turtles and Splinter meanwhile kept running though the Technodrome as it began to crumble around them. It tilted as it began to lose its thruster power, nearly sending the group off their feet.

"So anyone tell me how we're gonna get out of here?" Mikey asked.

"That's how!" Donnie shouted, pointing to one of the only remaining pods left. "But we better hurry!"

The turtles and Splinter bolted towards the pod. They all piled in as Donnie fiddled with the controls to get it moving. As Raph pulled down the cover, Donnie finally got the pod off the ground. The pod then flew across the hallway and out of one holes leading outside. The pod landed in the Hudson just before the Technodrome itself crashed into the river and sank. The turtles looked at this display and cheered.

"We did it!" Mikey cheered. "We won!"

The turtles all high three'd, hugging and bouncing around the pod as all the other pods surfaces, freeing their former captives. They too let out cheers of relief knowing the crisis was over. As the turtles were cheering, Donnie glanced over at Splinter, noticing a small line of smoke coming from the fur on his hands. His face immediately fell as he realized the implications of that.

"Master Splinter," Donnie spoke. "Your hands..."

Splinter glanced down at his smoking hands, the pain of his wounds coming to his attention.

"The Sword of Tengu is a potent mix of science and sorcery," Splinter explained. "Only a true master can wield its power… but there is a price to be paid."

Donnie came over and took out some bandages from his bag.

"I got you Sensei." Donnie reassured, unwrapping some of the bandages. "It's all over now."

"Indeed." Splinter agreed, glancing over to where the Technodrome crashed down. "It's over…"

…

"Who saved the world?" Mikey asked his brothers when they got back to the lair.

"We saved the world!" they replied joyously.

"I said who saved the world?" Mikey asked again.

"We saved the world!" They all replied again.

"I said-"

"Stop asking." Raph interrupted irritated.

"We saved the world." Mikey simply answered before Raph shoved a pizza box in his face.

They all were eating pizza and celebrating when Leo saw Splinter enter the dojo.

Inside, Splinter picked up the picture of Hamato Yoshi and his family again. As he did so, an old memory entered his mind.

…

Chung Li wandered into his master's room as he was preparing for the day. Sliding the door open, he saw something strange on his master's shoulder. It was a strange mark, one that Chung Li had never seen before.

"Can I help you, my student?" Yoshi called out, not even turning to the door.

Li let out a small yelp of surprise, then slowly entered the room.

"I am sorry to disturb you Master." he apologized.

"It is quite alright." Yoshi assured him. "Now, what is it you need?"

Li looked at his Master, his eyes drifting to the shoulder bearing the mark.

"Master… what is that symbol on your shoulder?"

Yoshi placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"It is the five petaled flower, the symbol of the Hamato Family." Yoshi explained. "Every child of the family is born with it. I was, as was my father, and his father before him. Eventually, the child I sire will bear the same mark."

Li smiled at his master's story.

…

"Sensei?" Leo asked, snapping Splinter out of his trance. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes Leonardo." Splinter reassured turning to him. "I was just thinking. The spirits of my master and his family can now finally rest in peace now that the Shredder is finished."

Leo smiled at the thought

"Aw yeah." Mikey agreed as he and the others walked in. "I think this calls for a gargantuan… JALAPENA!"

The others just groaned in response.

"Come on, I'm trying!" Mikey yelled.

"If you are searching for a new battle cry, may I offer a suggestion?" Splinter asked.

The others turned to him in response.

"I have always liked… Cowabunga."

The turtles were shocked by this choice. However, they all turned to each other and nodded smiling.

"COWABUNGA!" they all cheered high-threeing.

Splinter just chuckled at the display before him.

…

Meanwhile the guardian, who had seen the Technodrome crash into the river, was contacting his superior to inform him of the situation.

 _"What is it Guardian?"_ the man asked.

"Sir, the Technodrome has been destroyed." the guardian answered. "The turtles saved us."

The man pondered for a moment.

 _"Then it would seem that the enemy of our enemy is our friend after all."_ The man decided. _"Perhaps it is time to bring them into the fold"_

"Understood sir." the Guardian acknowledged smiling.

...

Back in the remains of the Technodrome, the entire interior of the ship was destroyed. Walls were caved in, floors cracked, and panels overturned or destroyed. In the bridge, everything remained silent. Suddenly, some of the rubble surrounding the crashed eye started to move, and a lone hand slowly rose up from the wreckage.


	20. Pride Comes Before the Fall

_My name is April O'Neil. I used to be your average New Yorker until the fateful day I met the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. After that, my life became a menagerie of evil ninjas, robotic aliens, and a maniacal villain bent on destroying everything. However, that all ended a month ago, when the turtles brought down the Technodrome, destroying Shredder and the Kraang once and for all. Now, the city is as peaceful as it has ever been, and with any luck, it will stay that way._

…  
On top of a rooftop, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stood watch over the city, waiting for their designated prize to come into range.

"How we doin Donnie?" Leo asked.

"ETA to rendezvous point: 3 minutes." Donnie answered.

"Alright boys," Leo addressed. "Turtle formation on my mark. 1… 2… 3!"

The turtles then leapt off the building towards a lower rooftop. Raph landed first, then caught Mikey with his legs before shoving him off. As Mikey landed, he put his hands up and caught Donnie's hands. He then pushed him into the air as he landed on his feet. The two then turned to have their shells face each other as Leo landed on top of them and jumped off.

"Nice work guys!" Leo congratulated. "Let's move!"

The four then sprinted forward across the rooftops. While they were running, Donnie took a look at his shell cell.

"He should be there!" he told them.

"Then let's haul shell!" Leo ordered.

The turtles then accelerated their running. As they reached the ledge of a building, they all took out their grappling hooks and fired. As the hooks made contact, they jumped off and began swinging.

...

On the street, a pizza delivery guy pulled up to the address he was told to go to. As he got out of his car and grabbed the pizza, Leo swung by and grabbed the pizza. Before the driver could react, Donnie zoomed past him placing a wad of cash in his hands. The guy looked at the cash in his hand for a second, then counted it out. Once he realized it was enough for the pizza as well as a nice tip, he shrugged and got back on his scooter.

...

The turtles made their way back to the rooftops with pizza in tow.

"Target acquired." Mikey spoke joyously.

"We're not done yet." Leo reminded. "Donnie, how much longer do we have?"

Donnie pulled back the leather straps on his wrist, revealing a digital watch underneath.

Less than five minutes!" Donnie yelled.

"We're not gonna make it!" Mikey yelled panicked.

"We're not beaten yet!" Leo declared.

The turtles then continued dashing across the rooftops, jumping up fire escapes, surfing along power lines and clothes lines.

"Objective in sight!" Donnie declared pointing to the building ahead.

"How much longer?" Leo asked.

"Thirty seconds!" Donnie answered.

"Then let's pick up the pace ladies!" Raph yelled running past.

"Dude a female turtle? Bad idea." Mikey joked.

Raph just rolled his eyes as he jumped across the gap to the building. He then ran towards the air vent and opened it as his brothers joined him. One by one they dove inside.

Inside the building, the turtles made it out of the air vents and into a projection booth. They turned to see the opening logos of a movie projected onto a theater screen.

"Alright!" Mikey yelled. "We made it."

"Like there was ever any doubt." Donnie jeered.

The brothers all snagged a slice of pizza as the movie began to play.

...

Sometime later, the turtles were nearly through all their pizza as the movie continued. On the screen, a young couple were clinging desperately to one another as a large flying saucer descended from the sky.

 _"Oh no!"_ the woman cried out in overly dramatic hysterics. _"It's the Squirrelanoids! They've come to invade our stomachs so they can multiply! What are we going to do Peter?!"_

 _"Don't worry Diane!"_ Peter replied. _"I shall valiantly protect you!"_

It was at that moment one of the Squirrelanoids jumped at Peter and made his way down his throat. The turtles just watched this with mild empathy as Diane let out an ear piercing shriek.

"Eh, these alien invasion movies seem pretty cheesy when you've actually lived through one." Mikey commented.

"Yeah, and what kind of monsters are Squirrelanoids?" Donnie questioned. "I mean, seriously, they can be distracted by popcorn."

"Yeah, try fighting through five thousand Kraang and 'then' talk to me about fear of aliens." Raph added.

"Come on guys." Leo declared. "Let's go."

With that, the turtles climbed back into the air vents and out of the theater.

...

On the rooftop, the turtles exited the vent one by one.

"Yeah those Squirrelanoids were alright," Mikey commented. "But I could've taken them. Just like I took down Kraang Prime!"

He then proceeded to do some silly karate moves, while the others chuckled.

"You?" Raph asked. "I'm the one who flung that sword into the back of his head."

"Very commendable Raphael," Donnie interjected. "But who has two thumbs, a shell, and managed to disable an alien battle station?"

He then pointed his thumbs to himself.

"This guy!"

"Fair enough," Leo conceded. "But if you recall, I'm the guy who took out not only the Kraang portal, but also Mirage Industries."

The turtles applauded the accomplishment.

"And let's not forget the biggest victory of all," Mikey spoke up. "The Shredder."

"Oh yes!" Leo agreed. "I could watch Splinter taking him down on a loop for days."

"I just wish we could have stuck around to see that giant eyeball land on his head." Raph shared.

The turtles continued leaping across the rooftops as the continued their conversation.

"Things have been pretty quiet since we took down the Kraang and Shredder." Leo noted.

"It's official," Raph shared. "We've run out of butts to kick."

"Hey look on the bright side Raph," Mikey spoke up. "It's given us a month long, post Kraang/Shredder takedown celebration!"

"He's got a point Raph." Leo told him.

Raph just shrugged smiling as the four continued making their way across the rooftops.

...

"...This has been April O'Neil, channel 6 news." April said concluding another news report.

"And we're out." Vern declared, turning off his camera.

April put down her mike, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Another day, another report about the clean-up efforts after the alien invasion." she moaned.

"Someone's gotta do it." Vernon told her.

"True." April conceded.

"I'm gonna set up over by that set of downed power lines." Vernon said. "It gives an impression of post-destruction."

April pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You do that. I'm gonna take a break."

"Aright."

While Vernon was heading towards the place he wanted to set up, April headed over to the van to get a bit of rest. As she opened it up, she was shocked to see the turtles sitting inside.

"Hey April." They greeted.

"Guys?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Just checking to see how you're doing." Donnie answered. "Haven't seen ya for a while."

"Been busy." April told them. "The Technodrome's charge through the city generated a lot of news buzz."

"Understandably so." Leo admitted. "We were just about to head back to the lair. Wanted to see if you wanted to hang out with us."

"Unfortunately I have a lot of work ahead of me." April lamented. "Besides, haven't you been just 'hanging out' a lot lately?"

"So?" Raph asked.

"So I don't think Master Splinter would approve of you guys neglecting your training." she replied. "I mean, it's been a month. You'll get rusty if you don't train."

"Aw come on, we were able to sneak in here weren't we?" Mikey challenged.

April crossed her arms and looked at the turtles with a single raised eyebrow.

"Relax April, we're on top of things." Mikey reassured. "We're just celebrating the fact that Shredder and those squishy brain freaks are long gone."

...

Across town in a secret location, Kraang Prime was being placed into his newly reconstructed body, ready to resume his work.

"Those infernal turtles think they have beaten me," Kraang Prime mused. "But Kraang Prime is not so easily defeated."

As he was speaking, a Kraang head rose from the floor and activated a holographic image of a Kraang.

 _"Greetings Kraang Prime."_ the Kraang greeted.

"The loss of the Technodrome was a serious blow to our mission, but we will proceed as planned. Do you have the latest shipment?"

 _"The shipment that is secret will soon be delivered to Kraang Prime who is in the location that is a secret location."_

"Excellent. How will you deal with any… complications?"

 _"Kraang will complicate the complications with…_

As he spoke, the Kraang stepped out of frame and a giant blue gorilla foot stepped in.

 _"Greater complications."_

...

Back at the lair, Splinter was meditating in the dojo when his sons came back from their latest night out on the town. Having had enough of his sons never ending partying, he stood up and decided to try and put a stop to it.

"My sons," he greeted exiting the dojo. "I see you have returned from your latest late night excursion. Perhaps you four would like to join me for a little meditation."

"Actually Sensei," Mikey yawned. "I'm feeling pretty sleepy."

"Same here." Donnie agreed.

"Ditto." Raph added.

"Maybe tomorrow." Leo suggested.

Splinter just sighed in response.

"My sons," Splinter spoke up again, getting the attention of the turtles. "I know you four are still reveling in the defeat of our enemies, but a grave question still remains."

"How many cheeses are really in a 99 cheese pizza?" Mikey suggested.

"Are our enemies truly gone?" Splinter corrected. "The Shredder maybe vanquished, but his minions still remain at large. And as history has taught us, revenge is a powerful motivator."

"But Sensei, you told us Shredder had structured the Foot in a way that made it dependent on his leadership." Leo reminded. "Without him, his forces would be directionless, ineffective. We'd never see them again."

"I never said that." Splinter replied. "I merely said they would be disoriented."

"Yeah, well even if Chrome Dome's cronies do show up again, we'll be ready for em." Raph remarked.

With that, the turtles started walking towards their rooms. At this point, Splinter had had enough.

"Enough!" Splinter yelled slamming his stick on the ground.

The turtles immediately stopped in their tracks and straightened up facing him.

"This has gone on for too long!" Splinter chastised.

"What's wrong Sensei?" Mikey asked. "We're just having a little fun. That's not wrong is it?"

"It is when it has made you lazy, and overconfident." Splinter told them, turning around and facing them. "You stay out to the late hours of the night and shirk your training."

"Relax Sensei," Raph tried to reassure. "We're just embracing a lasting era of peace. That's not so wrong"

"Except that that peace won't last." Splinter cautioned. "The only constant in life is change. Peace and war come and go, as do friends and enemies. One day, even I will be gone."

The turtles were taken aback by that thought. The idea of them having to go on without their master, their father, was unfathomable.

"If and when that days comes, I hope you will use my teachings wisely." Splinter told them. "So I suggest you put an end to this party. Now!"

With that, Splinter walked towards his room, leaving the turtles just standing there taking in the words their master had given them.

"Maybe Splinter's right." Leo admitted. "Maybe we have gotten cocky."

"Jeez, relax Leo." Raph told him. "It's not being cocky if you got the skills to match."

"But what about the other thing he said." Donnie interjected. "About what it would be like, you know, not having him."

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Honestly, I don't want to think about it." Mikey finally spoke up. "The idea of having to go on without Sensei… scares me."

Leo put a hand on Mikey's shoulder comforting him.

"Don't worry Mikey." Leo reassured. "We're going to be fine. Splinter's not going anywhere."

Mikey smiled at the reassurance.

"Now come on. Let's-"

Before Leo could finish, some kind of beeping emanated from Donnie's lab, much to their surprise.

"Uh… Donnie, your lab is beeping." Mikey said.

The turtles entered the lab and saw the beeping was coming from a device on Donnie's computer.

"Isn't that your Kraang frequency scanner?" Leo asked.

"That thing you used to find out about the Technodrome?" Raph questioned.

"Yeah." Donnie confirmed walking over to it. "But it's been quiet for weeks."

He sat down at the computer and began pressing buttons on the keyboard. His eyes went wide at the results.

"It looks like it picked up an encrypted message. Do you know this means?"

"Yeah, the party really is over." Mikey joked.

"What does it say Don?" Leo asked.

Donnie continued skimming across the screen.

"According to this," Donnie observed. "Some kind of secret shipment is being transported to an undisclosed location."

"Well that's helpful." Raph remarked. "Anything on there that might actually be useful?"

"Well they're transporting via a special Kraang scout ship." Donnie read.

"They're gonna fly a giant spaceship through Manhattan?" Mikey asked.

"Well according this, the ship has a cloaking device." Donnie answered. "It can fly through the city undetected, no problem."

"So how are we gonna take down a ship we can't even see?" Raph asked.

"OH!" Mikey spoke up. "We can set up paint cans all over the city. Then when the ship flies by, the paint will spill onto the ship. We'll be able to find it no problem."

The others just looked at him with blank expressions.

"We could…" Leo replied. ..."Or we could try and figure out a plan that's a little less… that."

"Well we could just start firing manhole covers from the Battle Shell until we hit it." Raph suggested.

"Good concept," Donnie replied. "Except instead of firing objects into the sky, we fire waves of electromagnetic radiation."

The turtles gave confused looks to their smarter brother.

"Um… care to elaborate Don?" Leo asked.

"We use radar." Donnie clarified holding up his shell cell. "By tapping into the alignment of several TV dishes around the city, I can create a triangulating pulse that will track the craft whatever its trajectory may be."

"Hey Don," Raph spoke up. "Considering you're at about a 9 right now, think you could lower it down to… oh say a 1?"

Donnie just gave Raph an irritated look.

"It will detect the Kraang spaceship." Donnie replied in a dumbed down voice.

"If we're gonna do this, we're gonna need another set of hands." Leo decided.

...

"So you want me to do what exactly?" April asked the turtles, who were standing on her fire escape.

"Just stake out a rooftop and feed us the Kraang scout ships coordinates as it comes into range." Donnie explained.

"Um…" April said. "I'd be more than willing to help, but I don't know anything about radar."

"What about your dad?" Leo asked. "He's a scientist right?"

"Well…" April answered. "Yeah, but-"

"Please April." Donnie begged. "We could really use his help."

April paused for a moment, looking at the turtles and their faces.

"Alright." April relented. "I'll talk to him."

"Thanks April." Donnie replied.

...

On top of a large rooftop, the turtles stood at the ready with their glider packs strapped on.

"April," Leo called on his shell cell. "We're in position. You got a lock on the ship?"

 _"Not yet guys, but we'll let you know."_

On another rooftop, April and her dad were monitoring the radar frequencies keeping an eye out for the Kraang ship.

"See anything yet?" April asked

"Nothing so far." Kirby answered. "I'm gonna try adjusting the frequency a bit."

Kirby then turned a dial on the special radar device Donatello gave them. Suddenly, an image appeared on screen.

"Hold on," Kirby let out. "I think I got something… yes! The Kraang ship is in range."

"You hear that guys?"

 _"Roger April."_ Leo replied. _"Send us the location."_

...

April sent the location of the Kraang ship to the turtles via text.

"Come on guys, let's move!" Leo ordered.

One by one, the turtles jumped off the building and activated their gliders, flying off. They continued flying to the designated location. While they were flying, Mikey kept doing barrel rolls through the air.

"Woo-Hoo!" Mikey yelled. "Cowabun-"

As he was flying, he flew right into something in the air. The other turtles flew just above him and landed on seemingly nothing.

"I'm guessing we found the Kraang ship." Leo surmised.

"Dudes, we're literally standing on nothing." Mikey commented as he joined his brothers. "This is so cool."

"Would you come on?!" Raph yelled grabbing him by the mask ends.

The four made it to the top. Leo cut a hole on the top and the four of them jumped inside. The Kraang piloting the ship turned to see the turtles landing stealthily on the floor.

"It is the ones called the turtles." one Kraang observed.

"Just three brain blobs?" Raph asked surprised. "We can beat these guys in our sleep."

"Heck, we can beat these guys in our sleep, with our hands tied behind our backs, and with our eyes closed." Mikey added.

"The ones called the turtles are in a state that is known as, over confident." one Kraang seemed to taunt.

"This will become the downfall that is the downfall of the ones called the turtles." The other Kraang replied.

"So people have said." Leo replied. "But I still think we can take-"

Before Leo could finish, some kind of strange noise rang out. They all turned behind them with weapons drawn to see a headless blue gorilla walking towards them. It easily towered over them, nearly twice Mikey's size, and all four turtles could feel that it was extremely powerful.

"What is that?!" Donnie exclaimed.

"More importantly, where's its head?" Mikey questioned.

One of the Kraang flew up in one of the hover pods and placed itself in the position of the head. Almost immediately, the strange gorilla began to move, getting into a fighting position.

"Bio-droid, engage!" The Kraang head declared.

That's when two weird saws came out of the bio-droid's nipples, buzzing lightly and waving around menacingly.

"Nipple saws…. It has nipple saws!" Mikey squeaked.

"Eh… Maybe we have gotten a little cocky." Leo admitted.

The Bio-droid then smashed its arms on the ground, causing the turtles to scatter. Leo charged towards the droid as it shot out its nipple saws. Leo blocked the saws with his swords before one of the cables holding the saws wrapped around his arm and threw him across the room. Mikey came up from behind him and jumped up trying to attack him, but the droids head just spun around detecting him before turning around completely and smacking him in the face. As Mikey made contact with the wall, the Bio-droid shot out a saw at him. Mikey quickly got out of the way as the saw hit a panel on the wall, causing a wall to open up. The turtles turned to see two rows of mutagen canisters stacked on top of each other. From the amount there had to be at least a couple dozen in there.

"Guys," Leo called out. "The shipment is mutagen!"

"Well that's a problem." Raph remarked.

Just then, the Bio-droid smacked Raph into the control panel, destroying the cloaking device.

...

Back with April and her dad, they watched from the rooftop as the ship turned visible, concerned for their reptilian friends.

"Come on guys," April said.

...

Back inside, the Bio-droid had grabbed ahold of Mikey and Raph and was spinning them around wildly.

"Why is it when we fight Kraang," Mikey called out. "I get spun around?!"

As the Bio-droid was spinning, Donnie came up and positioned himself just right before smacking the creature with his staff. The Bio-droid immediately stopped to reveal its back was the part that was struck. Suddenly, a back plate on the droid fell off revealing two cannons being primed to fire.

"Butt cannons?" Donnie asked. "IT HAS BUTT CANNONS?!"

Said butt cannons then began going off, ironically making noises that almost sounded like farting.

"That's just whack Yo!" Mikey called out.

Mikey then extended his chain and wrapped it around the droid. The droid grabbed the chain and threw spun Mikey around some more.

"Aww not again!" Mikey yelled.

"Hang on Mikey!" Donnie called.

Donnie smacked one of the other Kraang flying the ship at the Bio-droid, knocking him off balance. The Kraang bounced around the ship a bit before it hit the control panel opening a lower hatch that led outside. Mikey slowly got up as the Bio-droid repositioned himself. He and Raph charged at the droid just for it to smack them into the wall near the mutagen. Their impact jostled the canisters loose as they rolled across the ground and out the hatch.

"Noooo!" all the turtles called out.

...

Down below, April watched in horror as several canisters rained down. It was like watching as the heavens fell. She knew what those canisters meant, and the horrors they would unleash upon the city, and she found herself frozen in absolute shock. While her eyes were locked on the sky, she was completely unaware of a single canister coming straight for her. However, Kirby was not so unaware.

"April!" he yelled out shielding her from the oncoming canister.

The canister shattered on Kirby's back, coating him in the glowing ooze. The minor cuts from the shattered glass were nothing compared to the indescribable burning sensation coursing through his body. He screamed, stumbling backwards and away from April, desperate to keep the deadly ooze away from her. As he continued backwards, he fell off the edge of the building in the path of some oncoming bats. April ran to the ledge, tears of fear and horror streaming down her face.

"DAD!"

Just then, a massive creature flew up and landed on a water tower on a nearby rooftop. It appeared bat-like with one arm clearly smaller than the other. Veins of mutagen were spread all across its body, including across its bulbous head, and a red beard gracing its face. It let out an unearthly screech before flying off into the night.

...

"You guys gotta be the worst ninjas ever!" Raph chewed out.

"Hey I didn't see you even try to grab a single canister!" Donnie yelled back.

"Guys!" Leo shouted, still holding off the Bio-droid's nipple saws with his swords. "A little help!"

The others charged at the droid to help their grabbed the two nipple saws in one hand and severed them with his sai, causing it to stumble back a bit. Donnie took this opportunity to swipe at its feet, knocking it on its stomach. As Mikey jumped on its back and pulled out the Kraang piloting it. Leo then charged forward and stabbed the Bio-droid in the head area, taking it out.

"Well that was fun." Raph remarked. "Let's ask Master Splinter to add gorilla wrestling to our training regiment."

"Right now we need to worry about this ship." Leo told them.

"I'm on it." Donnie replied making his way over to the ship's control console.

He activated his blade end and stabbed it into the console in a crazed attempt to steer the ship.

"Now I do believe it's time to chart another course." Donnie remarked. "Like the moon!"

Donnie pulled back on his staff and the ship turned upward.

"Time to go." Leo decided.

The turtles then jumped out of the hatch as the ship flew upwards. As they approached the ground faster and faster, they took out their grappling hooks and fired at nearby buildings. They swung low just avoiding the streets before swinging upward and leaping back onto the buildings. They saw April just standing on one of the rooftops looking distraught. Not sure why, they leapt down to check it out.

"April?" Donnie asked as they ran up. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

She looked over at the turtles, tears streaming down her face.

"Dad… He-" she choked before sobbing hard.

The turtles looked around for any sign of Kirby, but all they found was a broken canister of mutagen.

"Oh no." Mikey let out.

"April I'm so sorry." Donnie told her.

She gripped onto Donnie, sobbing into his shell.

"Was this the Kraang's plan?" she hiccuped. "Mutate the city by dropping dozens of canisters of ooze?"

The turtles looked at each other with expressions of guilt and regret. Finally they turned back to April, knowing they had to tell her the truth.

"April…" Donnie started. "The Kraang didn't do this… we did."

April's eyes went wide, then she roughly pushed Donnie away.

"You what?!" she exclaimed.

"We were fighting the Kraang and we accidently let those canisters get loose." Leo explained.

"April I promise we will do everything we can to help your father." Donnie tried to reassure. "Believe me I-"

Her hand came out of nowhere, catching Donnie across the face. He fell to the ground, more out of shock than pain. April just stood over him, her face a twisted mask of rage and sorrow.

"You turned my father into a freak!" She screamed.

"It was an accident!" Mikey tried to explain.

"You turned my father into a freak!" she repeated.

"April…" Donnie said, getting back to his feet and trying to place a hand on her shoulder.

April slapped his hand away, growling at him.

"Don't touch me!" she demanded. "Don't you dare touch me! I never want to see you again!"

Before the turtles had a chance to react, April turned and ran away.

"April!" Donnie called out.

"Let her go man." Raph told him. "We've messed with her life enough today."

She threw the door to the roof access open before disappearing into the building. The turtles watched the door close behind her, feeling lower than they'd ever been.

...

"I am tired waiting." Kraang Prime told the Kraang on the screen. "Where is my mutagen?"

 _"The ones that are called the turtles intervened with the shipment that is the shipment meant to be delivered to Kraang Prime. Kraang will make that which is known as amends."_

"See that you do." Kraang Prime warned. "These turtles have interfered with our plans far too often. We must begin making plans to rid ourselves of these mutants once and for all."

...

The turtles continued trudging through the sewers, all of them just staring at the ground with every step and feeling more defeated than they've ever felt.

"I'm just gonna say it," Mikey commented. "Today. Sucked."

"Worst day ever." Raph concurred.

"The first thing I'm gonna do when we get back is begin working on a 'retro-mutagen'." Donnie decided. "I've gotta find a cure for April's dad."

Leo just stayed silent as he continued walking. Suddenly, he felt his foot hit something under the sewer water. He bent down and reached into the water grabbing a hold of something. He picked it up and pulled out, revealing it to be a ninja sword.

"Guys." Leo called out as his eyes went wide.

The other turtles turned to see the sword in his hands.

"Hey that looks like the swords the Foot use." Mikey observed.

Suddenly, a dark and disturbing thought entered their minds.

"Splinter!" they all called out.

With that, they sprinted back to the lair. As they ran up, they saw that the entrance had been busted down. Leo came up and kicked down what remained of the door as he and his brothers drew their weapons. They entered the lair to see it completely ransacked. Scrapes and cut marks on the walls, furniture either turned over or destroyed, and all the shelves that lines the wall had their contents spilled across the floor. Leo just dropped his sword in shock of the situation as Mikey fell to his knees. As he looked over the state of the lair, something caught his eyes. He stood up and ran over to a destroyed and picked up what turned out to be Splinter's walking stick.

"Splinter…" Mikey let out.

The others saw this and were petrified by what it could mean. Immediately, Raph dropped to his knees and began breathing heavily. He then let out a massive scream that would have rattled the others if they could comprehend anything else that was going on at the moment.


	21. From Bad to Worse

_Hey there. Donatello here. And as of today, our lives have gone to shell. It started out pretty good with the four of us still celebrating the defeat of the Kraang and Shredder, much to Master Splinter's disappointment. However, just as he predicted, that peace didn't last. The Kraang were soon back and working with mutagen again. We tried to stop them, but we accidentally let loose dozens of canisters of mutagen across the city. One of these canisters hit Kirby O'Neil, turning him into a mutant bat. Needless to say, April hates our guts, but that wasn't even the worst part of the evening. When we got back home, we found out that the Foot had made a surprise visit, and Splinter was nowhere to be found._

 _Suffice to say, today has not been a good day._

...

The turtles were distraught and shaken by the state of their situation. Their lair had been invaded and there was no sign of their master. They all dispersed throughout the lair in an attempt to find him. Donnie went towards his lab, absolutely horrified by the sheer amount of damage that had been caused. Unfortunately, that was all he'd found.

"Nothing in the lab." Donnie reported.

Leo had taken the dojo, having to watch his step to avoid the splintering dividers and torn apart mats that littered the ground.

"Nothing in the dojo." Leo stated.

Mikey went towards Master Splinter's bedroom, having to pry the doors open with just about all his strength. That room had probably received the most amount of damage out of all the rooms. Sword marks had destroyed just about every wall, every piece of furniture, and had left almost nothing untouched. Mikey reached down, sifting through some of the debris to find a broken picture frame containing the only picture Splinter had left of Master Yoshi and his family.

"No luck with his room either." Mikey shared.

The turtles all regrouped, Mikey clutching that picture so tightly that his knuckles were white. Raph was also holding something, much to everyone's shock.

"I found something," Raph announced, though his voice was thick with rage and disgust. "But it ain't good."

Raph then held up a broken Mouser, much to the turtles despair.

"Is that a…" Mikey started to ask.

"Mouser." Raph completed tossing the thing on the ground. "Must have been how they found this place."

"Oh man." Mikey let out. "This is bad. What if they-?"

"Let's not jump to any conclusions yet." Leo stepped in. "Right now, and until we can prove otherwise, he's alive and awaiting rescue."

"Then let's stop standing around like a bunch of sissies and go find him!" Raph exclaimed.

Mikey then gulped, his eyes locked on the front door.

"Umm, that's all well and good Raph, but who's gonna rescue us?!"

The other turtles turned to see hordes of Foot Ninja standing at the entrance.

"Bad timing scum." Raph told them drawing his sai. "Real bad."

With that, he charged towards the enemy ninjas. The other turtles drew their weapons and followed suit.

As one ninja tried bringing his sword down on Raph, Raph blocked it with his sai and gave him a kick to the chest. He then struck another ninja in the head with the blunt end of one sai, and kicked another ninja in the chest. As that ninja hunched over, Raph brought both his sai up and brought them down on his head.

Leo kept on the defensive a bit as one ninja kept swinging his swords at him. Leo however, just kept blocking the strikes with his own swords. Finally, Leo gave a swift kick to the ninja's chest, sending him flying across the room.

"Guys!" Leo called out. "One of these guys must know where they're holding Splinter! So don't knock them all out!"

Mikey just kept ducking and dodging one ninja's attacks while listening to his brothers instructions.

"I doubt that'll be a problem Leo!" Mikey called back punching the ninja in the face.

Mikey then spun his nunchucks a bit before charging at several ninja's and smacking them away one after another. Off to the side, one ninja swung a kusarigama chain overhead and threw it at Mikey, wrapping around his arm. The ninja pulled on the chain, causing Mikey to fall to the ground. As Mikey regained his sense, three other ninjas stood over him, swords at the ready. Thinking fast, Mikey got to his feet, still crouched down, and pulled on the chain, pulling the ninja over to him and taking out two of the three ninjas. Mikey then quickly sprang up, upper cutting the ninja in the jaw and taking him out.

...

Donnie meanwhile had just taken out one ninja with his staff when another one began throwing several shuriken at him. Donnie held up his staff to deflect them all before leaping over to him swing his staff as he did so. As Donnie landed on the ground, another ninja came up and kicked him into his lab. As Donnie landed on the ground, he quickly rolled onto his shell and onto his feet as more ninja's entered.

"Come on guys, haven't you wrecked the place enough already?" Donnie asked.

...

With Leo, the fight spilled into the dojo. The already shredded mats and the splinters everywhere made the battle more treacherous than it already was. One ninja tried striking him with a staff, but Leo just ducked under every blow before slicing it in half and punching him in the face. Thinking fast, Leo brought his swords up blocking a sword strike behind him. Leo groaned under the strain the ninja was putting on him. He then pulled the swords out of the way and leaned back, causing the ninja to flip over onto the ground. Leo then delivered a quick kick to the head taking him out.

...

Raph meanwhile was holding nothing back on the Foot. He threw one ninja into a wall, bashed two ninja's heads together, and head butted another without missing a beat. He then grabbed one ninja's arm and flipped him onto the ground before kicking him in the stomach.

"Who else wants some?" Raph asked through his teeth.

...

Mikey's fight carried him into the kitchen. His back was against the fridge as one ninja came up to him and thrusted his sword forward. Mikey quickly ducked out of the way as the sword impaled the fridge door. Mikey quickly opened the fridge disarming the ninja before striking him with his nunchaku. As Mikey got up, he glanced inside the fridge and saw some leftover pizza. He quickly grabbed it and started eating it as more ninja tried attacking him. Mikey then leapt up onto the counter and started throwing pots and pans at the oncoming Foot ninja with the slice of pizza still in his mouth. One ninja leapt onto the counter with Mikey and tried slicing him with his sword. Mikey just barely avoided the swipe, but it cut off the slice of pizza, making it fall to the ground. Mikey looked down at the fallen pizza before turning back to the ninja.

"Not cool bro." Mikey told him before tackling him to the ground.

...

Leo was tackled out of the dojo by several Foot ninja. He tried pulling himself free from the ninjas grasp, but to very little avail.

"Guys, there's too many of them!" Leo called out. "We need to get out of here!"

Leo finally pulled a fist free and punched out each of ninja pinning him down.

"Are you out of your shell?" Raph asked punching out another ninja. "We don't run from a fight! Especially when it's in our own home!"

"We don't have a choice!" Leo exclaimed. "Get moving!"

Reluctantly, Raph made his way for the exit. Leo and Mikey followed suit. Donnie bolted out of the lab and joined up with his brothers.

...

April's van sped down the nearly deserted streets. She was barely paying attention to the road, her eyes fixated on the skies, searching for even a trace of her mutated dad. So far, she hadn't found anything, and it was beginning to worry her.

"Come on Dad..." she muttered, "Where are you?"

...

Back in the sewers, the turtles were running for their lives to try and escape the pursuing Foot Ninjas.

"So now we're running." Raph spoke up. "Anyone have a plan beyond that?"

"I'll let you know when I've got one." Leo told him.

"Uh guys," Mikey said. "We've got company!"

The turtles looked behind them to see the Foot Ninja still on their collective tails.

"Can't we just smoke bomb away?" Raph asked.

"I didn't bring any." Mikey admitted.

"Alright plan B." Leo told them. "Raph and I will hold off the Foot. Donnie and Mikey, head topside and get the Battle Shell."

"Stand and fight?" Raph questioned as he stopped to draw his sai again. "Now you're talking."

Leo stopped alongside him pulling out a sword as Donnie and Mikey continued running. Raph wasted no time tackling several Foot Ninja as Leo deflected one sword strike after another.

...

Mikey slowly lifted the manhole cover enough for his eyes to peer out. He looked around to see any sign of the Foot, but there was none to be found.

"Alright, the coast is clear." he reported.

Mikey then climbed up to the surface with Donnie following close behind. They came up to the edge of an alley and could see the warehouse from across the street.

"Looks safe." Mikey commented.

"True, though appearances can be deceiving." Donnie cautioned.

The two turtles inched their way along the wall, sticking to the shadows as they did so. They then sprinted across the street and came alongside the warehouse. Donnie

peered inside to see half a dozen Foot Ninja guarding the inside.

"What's up D?" Mikey asked.

"Foot goons inside." Donnie reported. "And I don't think we can fight them all."

"Now what?" Mikey asked.

"Let's rendezvous with the others." Donnie told him. "Hopefully they're having better luck."

...

Back down below, Leo and Raph were shell to shell, surrounded on all sides by the Foot.

"Yeesh." Raph let out. "How many Foot goons did Shredder have working for him?"

"More than you can count Raph." Leo replied blocking another sword strike.

Raph and Leo continued deflecting attacks and returning with one punch and kick after another, but it didn't seem to put a dent in the number of Foot forces surrounding them. The endless combat was starting to get them.

"You… doing alright?" Leo asked panting.

"Fine…" Raph replied starting to feel winded. "I… just need to… catch my breath."

At that moment, Donnie and Mikey ran towards them, spinning their respective weapons and taking out several Foot Ninja before circling up with their brothers.

"What's the story upstairs?" Leo asked.

"The warehouse is over run with Foot." Donnie reported. "Battle Shell is a no go."

"Great, now what?!" Raph shouted.

"We're too cramped down here." Leo rationalized. "We need more room to fight, and more room to escape."

"Like where?" Mikey asked. "Wanna rent out a boxing ring or something?"

"He means topside, shell-for-brains!" Raph snapped.

"We need to ditch the Foot for a while though." Leo told them.

Just then, he glanced over to a drainage junction nearby. He smiled at the prospect.

"Guys!" Leo called out. "Follow me!"

He turned and dived into the swirling water, his brothers right behind him. One foot went to pursue them, but was held back by the others. A single shake of the head was all that was needed to dissuade the Foot Ninja.

...

At another part of the sewers, the turtles resurfaced and immediately started looking for Foot. So far, there didn't seem to be any obvious signs that they'd been pursued.

"Whew." Mikey let out. "Glad that's over with."

"For now." Leo cautioned. "Stay cautious."

"Ok so now what fearless leader?" Raph asked.

"Let's get topside so we can plan our next move." Leo told them.

The turtles swam towards shore and made their way up a nearby ladder leading topside.

...

April's van stopped at a stop light, resting her head against the wheel. Tears of frustration were beginning to well up in her eyes as she fought back the urge to cry.

"Get a grip April." She chastised herself. "You won't do your dad any good as a sobbing wreck."

She then turned into a nearby alley and stopped. She stepped outside to try and regain her composure. Just as she finally calmed down, she heard something coming from below her. She turned to see a manhole cover being removed and the turtles coming up. She stepped back as they all came out, wiping her eyes and crossing her arms.

"April." Donnie greeted shocked. "Funny the two of us running into each other in this exact alley."

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "I thought I told you that I never wanted to see you again!"

"Well we weren't exactly looking for you." Raph responded.

"Then get lost! I'm not gonna let you drag me into whatever trouble you guys are in." she snapped. "I'm done with mutant turtles, alien blobs, and…. Foot Ninja?"

The turtles raised an eyebrow at how she phrased that last one. Then they looked up to see several Foot Ninja on the rooftops.

"Oh come on!" Mikey cried as the Foot jumped down.

"April get out of here!" Leo yelled.

"No argument there."

April turned and got into her van, wasting no time gunning the engine and flooring the gas, leaving the turtles to fend off the evil ninjas alone.

"You know, I miss the days where'd she say 'Hell no' and fight with us." Mikey commented, twirling his chucks.

"Yeah, well get used to it Mikey." Raph said snapping a sword with his sai and kicking the ninja away.

The turtles continued fending off the hordes of ninja, but it was beginning to get overwhelming. Mikey was so focused on taking out one ninja, he didn't notice another come up from behind him and kick him from behind, knocking him to the ground. Donnie glanced at this, giving one ninja an opening to kick him in the head. Leo just kept blocking attacks with his sword, but was kicked in the back of the leg, causing him to bend over and allowing another ninja to strike him in the head. Only Raph was left standing, and he wasn't willing to go down easy. He just kept swing his sai around, taking out any Foot Ninja that came close. All the Foot Ninja then rushed him and overpowered him as they threw him to the ground and kept kicking him.

"Guys," Mikey said. "I don't think we're gonna win this one."

While the Foot Ninja continued to wail on the helpless turtles, a pair of headlights came screaming up the street. The Foot Ninja turned just in time to see April's van smash into them. She completely ran over the ninjas, then backed over them again for good measure. The turtles slowly got up as April threw open the back doors of the van.

"Get in."

Wasting no words, the turtles piled into the back of the van and closed the doors as April floored it, leaving the Foot Ninja in the dust.

"Thanks April." Donnie replied.

"Don't thank me." she said in a deadpan voice. "I'm just taking you to the next manhole cover so you guys can get home."

The turtles just looked down in sorrow upon hearing those words.

"Yeah well that might be a little tricky." Raph remarked.

April paused for a minute, hearing the sadness in his voice. Her own tone softened a bit, but maintained the deadpan sound.

"How so?"

"The Foot found our lair and trashed it." Leo told her. "Master Splinter is… well we don't know where he is."

April stopped the van, unable to remain completely deadpan anymore. Despite all of the anger she had, she could tell the turtles were hurting just as much.

"Guess I can't just dump you at the nearest manhole cover."

"You don't have to do anything." Donnie told her. "We've meddled with your life enough."

April sighed and started moving again.

"That may be true, but if I just let you run off, who knows how much trouble you'll cause. You need a place to lay low."

"What did you have in mind?" Mikey asked.

April's face hardened again.

...

April's van pulled up to the Second Time Around, sliding into the alley next to it.

"My dad won't be using this place while he's a mutant bat." April told them, her voice hard once again. "Just don't touch anything in the antique shop and don't trash the apartment any more than you have to."

"Sounds fair." Leo agreed.

"And April, I promise I'll if it's the last thing I do, I will find a cure for your dad." Donnie tried to reassure.

April didn't even respond. Instead, she just drove off once the turtles were all out of the van.

"Well this has been a terrific day." Raph commented.

"At least we have a roof over our heads now." Mikey said. "That's a plus."

"We have bigger problems to worry about." Leo told them. "We have dozens of mutagen canisters loose all over the city. We have to find them before they fall into the wrong

hands, or worse, they turn some other innocent bystander into a horrific monster."

"Uh Earth to Leo." Raph called out. "In case you forgot, Splinter's out there somewhere! We gotta find him!"

"We will." Leo reassured. "But this mutagen crisis takes precedence."

"Precedence over finding our father?!" Raph yelled.

"Wherever he is, Sensei's a ninja master." Mikey chimed in. "He's gonna be fine."

"Right," Leo agreed. "And even he would agree that gathering the mutagen is a bigger priority. The risk is just too great."

Raph grumbled at this, but he knew his brother was right.

"Fine." Raph relented. "Let's get to work."

...

 _Earlier that day_

 _Splinter sat in the dojo, looking over the picture of his Master Yoshi and his family._

 _"I love my sons," Splinter said to seemingly no one. "But at times it can be hard to get through to them. Donatello thinks too much, Raphael barely thinks things through at all, Michelangelo is undisciplined, and while Leonardo is a more than capable leader, at times he lacks self-confidence."_

 _He continued looking at the picture._

 _"If only you were here. Many times i have longed for your guidance."_

 _Just then, some kind of cracking sound came from outside. Splinter stood up and ran out of the dojo to see several Mousers chewing through the walls to the lair._

 _"What's this?" he asked._

 _The Mousers just roared as they charged at him. Splinter back flipped back into the dojo and grabbed his walking stick. One Mouser leapt at him and he smacked it into a wall_ _with his stick destroying it. He then proceeded to stab a second one in the mouth taking that one out as well. One Mouser leapt on top of him and forced him to the ground. It tried taking a bite at his head, but Splinter kept moving it, causing the Mouser to bite at the mats. Finally, Splinter threw the mouser off and picked up a kunai before throwing it at the Mousers eye effectively destroying it._

 _Splinter then got to his feet and placed his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath._

 _Before long however, the entrance was broken open. Splinter came back out to see several Foot Ninja piling into the lair. Splinter readied himself in a fighting stance, ready for the fight that laid before him._


	22. Tokka and Rahzar

_My name is Raphael. You know, people use a lot of words to describe me. Maniac. Hothead. Loose cannon. But I prefer words like warrior or fighter. People fight for all kinds of reasons. Fight to protect others they care about, fight for the thrill of it, or fight to get back at someone that wronged them in the past._  
 _These two freaks before me, Tokka and Rahzar, fall into a category all their own. They fight for vengeance, and because they believe that no human deserves their mercy._

...

Carol Dunham was in the middle of her evening job through a small, suburban area of New York. It was one of the few times that she was able to slip away and forget about her troubles. As she paused on a corner of the sidewalk, she slipped her headphones out of her ears, listening for oncoming cars. As she listened, a strangled whimper reached her ear.

"Huh?" she muttered.

Turning her music off all together, Carol listened for the sound, following it towards a chain-link fence. On the other side of the fence, Carol witnessed a sight that made her heart sink. Chained to a post in the center of a barren backyard lay a Siberian husky, one that had definitely seen better days. His fur was covered in dirt, he was covered in bald spots, and he was so skinny, it was obvious he hadn't eaten in a while.

"Oh my god." she whispered.

Unable to just walk away, Carol gently opened the gate, slowly approaching the husky. It lifted its head, letting out a thready growl of warning. Carol slowed her approached, holding her hands up passively.

"It's okay big guy." she whispered gently. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The creature's growling subsided a bit as she moved in closer. She gently reached her hand out, ever so lightly petting the husky on the head. She then noticed a small turtle resting on the dogs back.

"Looks like you've got a friend with you." she commented, then her eyes widened. "A snapping turtle too."

As Carol moved her hand towards him, the turtle tried taking a snap at her. She pulled her hand back, keeping her gentle tone.

"Hey, it's alright." she whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you, or your friend. I'm just trying to remove the collar."

Carol moved her hand back towards the collar and undid the latch on it, causing it to fall off. The dog's eyes went wide a bit, pawing at its neck where the collar had been. When it felt only its bare neck, it turned to Carol, giving her a small lick on the cheek. Carol giggles, then stood up.

"Come on." she told him. "I'll take you two to the vet's office, then we'll see about taking you home with me."

As she helped the dog outside the fence with the turtle still on his back, she happened to look up to see something bright green falling fast towards them. Carol squinted to get a better look at it, and saw it was some kind of canister containing a strange green substance. Thinking fast, Carol dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the fallen canister. Unfortunately, the husky and his reptilian friend were not so lucky. The turtle fell off and started growing in size. He also began growing spikes along his arms, shell, and on its claws.

The dog began growing as well. Its already balding fur began to fall away, taking chunks of skin with it to reveal bone underneath. His ribs became more and more pronounced until they were completely outside his skin. His fangs elongated and his claws lengthened, pulling his finger bones right out of his paws. Carol was awestruck by the transformation before her as the two creatures cried out in pain and agony.

"T-t-Tokka…" the dog tried crying out reaching towards the snapping turtle.

"R-r-Rahzar…" the snapping turtle, evidently named Tokka, called out before he and Rahzar collapsed.

Carol stared at the two unconscious mutants, unsure of what had happened, or what to do next. She contemplated running for it, but the very idea sickened her. She looked at the two, finally coming to a decision.

"Mutants or not, they're animals in need." she told herself. "I can't leave them here."

She then went over to Rahzar and tried helping him up. Rahzar saw this as he regained consciousness.

"Why… are you… doing this?" he tried to ask.

"I promised I'd help you, and i intend to do just that." she told him. "Though I may need to rethink the vet idea."

She lifted Rahzar to his feet, then looked down at Tokka,

"Think you can help me with him?"

"Yes."

...

Within minutes, Carol got Tokka and Rahzar back to her apartment. It was a ramshackle, single room apartment with a small bed in the corner, and a tiny kitchenette along one wall. There was a small hallway that led to the bathroom, which was where Carol led the two mutants.

"The water heater's busted." she lamented. "So I can only offer you a cold bath. Is that okay?"

"It's better… than nothing." Rahzar replied.

"T-t-thank… you." Tokka told her.

Carol just smiled as she turned on the water, slowly filling the tub. She helped the two mutants climb inside. It was a bit of a tight fit, but they didn't seem to mind.

"I'll go see if I can find some clean washcloths and a few towels." she declared. "I'll also go dust off my old first aid kit. I may not be able to do much to help, but I will most certainly try."

Tokka and Rahzar nodded smiling as Carol left the room.

"Why... is she…. doing this…. for us?" Tokka asked.

"I... do not know." Rahzar admitted. "She is…. Kind. I... did not know... humans… could be kind."

"The human…. who did this... to us…." Tokka remembered. "He must pay..."

Rahzar growled in agreement, but then winced from the pain that had almost become a part of his being.

"Not like this..." he said, "We are… not strong enough..."

"We will heal." Tokka agreed. "And when… we do…"

"He. Will. Die." Rahzar finished.

...

A few nights later, the turtles have settled into April's dad's apartment. Donnie and Leo had just finished setting up the couch for them to sleep on, since none of them felt comfortable going into Kirby's room. Mikey meanwhile was going through some stuff on his shelves.

"Wow." Mikey remarked. "Kirby's got a lot of cool stuff."

"Don't touch anything." Raph warned. "We're pushing it with April just being here."

"Chillax dude. I'm just gonna-" Mikey said before something caught his eye.

He took another look to see a certain DVD on the shell. His eyes went wide as a smile slowly formed.

"ALRIGHT! BOOYAKASHA!" Mikey cheered pulling out the DVD box. "Pizzas on me guys! Order anything you want!"

The other turtles raised their eyebrows as Mikey took the DVD over to the TV.

"Mikey, what is wrong with you?" Leo asked.

"Oh where to start?" Donnie mused.

"Guys, you are about to bear witness to the greatest cartoon ever created." Mikey hyped up as the DVD began playing.

 _"Banding together from remote quadrants of the cosmos,"_ an over the top announcer narrated. _"are five of the world's most phenomenal super heroes. Silver Sentry,"_

An African American man in a white costume and black cape and mask flew across the screen.

 _"Wingnut,"_

A man in a red costume with a bat face mask and metal wings swung on a rope on and off screen.

 _"Amazon Babe,"_

A tall, brunette woman in what looked like a jaguar skin gown, wielding a bone staff, posed triumphantly, spinning the staff like Donnie does.

 _"Super Ring,"_

A middle age man wearing a full green costume, mask and cape thrusted his fist forward revealing a ring with an abnormally large gem on it.

 _"And Zippy Lad."_

A teenage boy with an orange costume, red gloves and boots, and a hat with a lightning bolt on top zoomed across the screen at amazing speed. The next shot was of all four of them standing together.

 _"Alone they are magnificent, but together they are… THE JUSTICE FORCE!"_

"What the shell is this?" Raph questioned.

"It's the Justice Force cartoon from the 1970's." Mikey answered. "I've been searching everywhere for a copy of the show."

"This is just ridiculous." Leo commented. "And you guys complained about Space Heroes."

"Come on guys, give it a chance." Mikey insisted. "You might actually enjoy it."

"Fine." Raph relented. "But I seriously doubt I could get into a show like this."

...

Within a few episodes, Mikey had the other turtles as hooked as he was.

"So this 'Amazon Babe' comes from a race of female warriors?" Raph asked.

"Yep." Mikey replied. "Her entire race are born with swords in their hands and the fighter's spirit in their hearts. They live for battle!"

"I think I found my favorite character." Raph remarked.

"The plot is quite complex and the characters well developed for its time." Donnie admitted. "Four stars!"

 _"Zippy lad,"_ Silver Sentry addressed. _"Why have you brought these strangers into the Justice Tower?"_

 _"They were in trouble Silver Sentry!"_ Zippy Lad said in his defense. _"The evil Lord Dregg wanted to turn them into monsters, so I brought them here for their own safety."_

 _"Zippy lad, do you not realize?!"_ Super Ring exclaimed, scanning the two kids with his ring. _"They already ARE monsters! And you've brought them right to us!"_

 _"What?!"_ Zippy Lad exclaimed over dramatically. _"That's impossible!"_

 _"I'm sorry son,"_ Wingnut consoled. _"But they must be stopped!"_

With that, the members of the Justice Force charged at the two strangers and attacked as they transformed into monsters.

"Alright Mikey I admit," Leo admitted. "This is pretty cool."

"See?"Mikey replied. "Cartoons can be fun, and deep."

As the cartoon violence continued, a small device that Donnie had been tinkering with since episode two started to beep and chime. Donnie noticed this and walked over to the kitchen table where the device was.

"What is it Donnie?" Leo asked.

"A mutagen scanner I developed to track down the rogue mutagen canisters." Donnie explained. "Looks like it's picking one up."

"Then let's move!" Leo declared.

"But what about Justice Force?" Mikey practically whined.

"You can watch more when we get back." Leo told him.

"Oh." Mikey realized. "Ok then let's go."

...

Carol stumbled into her apartment, visibly exhausted from a long day at work. She was wearing a waitress dress for a local Denny's, one that seemed to be covered in coffee stains, most likely fresh. She locked the door behind her and sagged onto her bed, as Tokka and Rahzar came to check on her.

"Another long day?" Rahzar asked.

"Very." She told him, giving his snout a pat. "Let me take a nap, then I'll get started on dinner, alright? We're having my famous chili tonight. I know that's your favorite."

"Sounds delicious." Tokka said cheerfully.

Carol smiled, then she slipped off into a much needed nap. Tokka gently pulled the blankets over her, looking up at Rahzar.

"She has been so good to us." Tokka told him.

"Yes." Rahzar agreed. "If only there was a way to repay her kindness."

Tokka then noticed a small photograph taped above Carol's bed. It was a slightly faded photo with the head of one of the occupants of the photo torn off. However, the other two occupants was clear. The first was Carol, though a few years younger, and a small baby boy in her arms.

"Who is the boy?" Tokka wondered

"We should ask about him when she awakens." Rahzar told Tokka.

"Yes." Tokka agreed. "He seems important."

...

Sometime later, Carol was pulling the large pot of chili off of the stove, bringing it to the table. Tokka and Rahzar sat across from each other, both of them smiling as she ladled out the chili.

"Here you go, boys." she told him. "I got some good tips the other day, so I was able to get some good sausage."

"Thank you." Rahzar replied before digging in.

Carol let out a giggle as Rahzar slurped at the chili, splashing it across his snout.

"Rahzar..." she lightly chastised, "What have I told you about manners? You may be a dog, but I taught you how to use a spoon."

"... Sorry." he responded lifting his head.

She chuckled again as she picked up her spoon, digging in herself. As they all enjoyed their food, Tokka paused for a second. Taking a deep breath, he spoke up.

"Carol…" Tokka asked. "Who are the people in that picture?"

He pointed to the picture he and Rahzar were looking at earlier. Carol looked over at it, then her face fell.

"That…That's me and my little brother." she told him. "Jeffery. He's six now."

She set her spoon down, just kind of staring at the photo wistfully.

"And the man with his head torn off?" Rahzar asked.

Carol's hands clenched into fists.

"My…. My dad..."

Tokka and Rahzar recognized the tone in her voice. It was a mixture of anger, sadness, and fear, emotions they knew all too well.

"What did he do to you?" Tokka asked.

Carol's eyes screwed shut as tears threatened to fall. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

"Let's just say you two aren't the only ones who have rotten luck with humans."

Tokka and Rahzar growled at that remark. Carol noticed this and reached out, gently taking both their hands.

"But that was in the past." she assured them. "The day I turned 18, I left him behind."

Her face fell again.

"Even if I couldn't take Jeffery with me."

"Why couldn't you?" Rahzar asked.

Carol snorted, gesturing towards her apartment.

"Look at this place." she told them. "This apartment isn't fit for raising a child, especially not for Jeffery."

"Why should that matter?" Tokka asked. "You've taken care of us."

"Well, it's different with you guys." Carol tried to explain. "Nobody knows you're here, so nobody can tell me to stop… or that I'm unfit… or that he's better off with my deadbeat drunkard of a father who doesn't deserve-"

Her breath hitched and she stood.

"Excuse me."

She made a bee-line for the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. Through the walls, the two mutants could hear her crying.

"It pains me to see her like this." Rahzar lamented.

"She has done so much for us," Tokka said. "We need to help her now."

"Agreed. The man must wait." Rahzar decided. "We need to find her brother."

"How?" Tokka asked.

"I remember seeing something like this on… TV." Rahzar answered. "We can go to the police station and learn where the boy is located."

"Then let us be off!" Tokka declared.

...

Across town, the turtles were following the signal from Donnie's scanner.

"How much further Don?" Leo asked.

"Should be just ahead." Donnie answered.

As Mikey landed on the edge of a rooftop, he saw something on a lower rooftop.

"Got it!" he called out. "Ooze jar at six o'clock!"

The others joined him one edge and looked down at where he was pointing.

"Well that was easy." Raph remarked.

"Let's grab it and tag it." Donnie declared.

They all then jumped down to the rooftop. Donnie quickly picked up the canister and placed it in his bag.

"So how many canisters have we found so far?" Mikey asked.

"One." Donnie told him. "Not counting the one that fell on Kirby."

The others groaned at that.

"Hey look at the bright side," Donnie tried to reassure. "Only 58 more to go."

As they started to head back, the silent night suddenly erupted into a chaos of sirens. Several police cars whizzed down the street, all of them heading towards a single location.

"What do you think's going on?" Mikey asked.

"And how much butt-kicking do ya think's involved?" Raph inquired pounding his fist.

"I know only one way to find out." Leo declared.

With that, the turtles bolted in the direction the cars were heading.

...

Rahzar held a police officer up in the air, holding the unfortunate man in one hand, and the ripped photo in the other. His claw pointed to the boy in the photo.

"Jeffrey Dunham." Rahzar growled. "Where is he?"

"I-I…" The officer tried to answer.

While Rahzar was interrogating the officer, several other cops tried shooting at the mutant. Tokka however stood in their way, using his shell as a shield against the bullets.

"I will protect you Rahzar." Tokka told him. "Just as you protected me."

"Thank you my friend" Rahzar replied.

...

Meanwhile, the turtles had just arrived near the police station where all the cop cars were corresponding. When they caught sight of the two mutants currently terrorizing the officer inside the precinct, all four of them were taken aback.

"Oh great." Raph snarled. "More mutants!"

"With great amounts of mutagen comes great amounts of mutants." Mikey joked, earning a smack from Raph.

"So how are we gonna stop them without being seen by the cops?" Leo inquired.

"Hmm..." Donnie pondered before snapping his fingers. "Well ninjas are masters of invisibility. And invisibility just means not being seen."

...

Back inside, Rahzar tossed the cop aside, furious he was not getting the information he desired.

"These humans are useless!" The dog mutant howled. "Should have known better than to ask them for help."

"Perhaps they need more motivation." Tokka suggested, snapping his beak-like jaw.

Just then, the lights went out for the entire room. Tokka and Rahzar looked around to find the source, only to be grabbed by four sets of arms and forcefully pulled deeper into the building. They were then tossed out the first window they came across, landing in an alley next to the building.

"Well, now that the humans are safe," Leo said. "Care to tell us what the shell is going on?"

Rahzar and Tokka ignored the turtles, focusing on each other instead, looking over one another for wounds.

"Are you alright Rahzar?" Tokka asked, plucking some shards of glass from his ribs.

"I am fine, Tokka." Rahzar replied, brushing shards off of Tokka's shell.

"So what's your story boys?" Raph asked, hand tingling over his sai.

The two turned to the turtles, their eyes narrowing as they realized their attackers were like them.

"More creatures like us?" Rahzar wondered.

"Perhaps they can help us." Tokka suggested.

"Why would we wanna help you?" Mikey asked.

Rahzar stepped forward, grabbing Mikey by his belt and lifted him into the air. The orange turtle's eyes went wide as he flailed about. Rahzar then showed him the picture, pointing to the boy again.

"Jeffrey Dunham." he said. "Where is he?"

"Never heard of him." Mikey answered quickly.

"What's it to you?" Leo asked.

"That is none of your business." Tokka snapped.

"When you start hurting innocent people, we make it our business." Leo countered.

Rahzar's eyes narrowed, then he threw Mikey into Leo, sending both turtles to the ground.

"I don't think they're going to help us, Tokka." Rahzar snorted.

"Seems that way, Rahzar." Tokka replied.

"They're just like the humans… Like him..." Rahzar added.

Tokka didn't even reply. His claws just clenched and his jaw snapped. The two monstrous mutants then charged toward the turtles. Rahzar tried snapping at Leo and Mikey, but the two leapt out of the way. Mikey charged towards Rahzar and unleashed several nunchaku strikes on him. Rahzar just caught one nunchaku in his mouth, much to Mikey's shock, and tossed him aside. Leo then came up and Rahzar collided his claws with Leo's swords. The two clashed back and forth until Leo kicked Rahzar in the chest, causing him to skirt back a bit. Rahzar just growled at this before charging towards him.

Raph meanwhile, was dishing out multiple sai strikes against Tokka, all of which didn't seem to do any good. Tokka finally grabbed Raph by the shoulders and threw him against a wall. Donnie then landed in front of him spinning his staff.

"Alright," Donnie declared. "Prepare yourself you overgrown, ugly excuse for a turtle!"

He then swung his staff at Tokka, who caught it in his mouth, and tossed it away. Donnie was left standing there in front of a very angry mutant.

"Uh…" Donnie said stunned. "You know maybe that ugly crack was a little out of line…"

Tokka then made several attempts to snap at Donnie's head, his beak coming a little too close a few times. Unbeknownst to them, Raph jumped on Tokka's back and hit his head several times. Annoyed Tokka grabbed Raph and threw him off, sending him flying into Donnie.

"We're getting our shells waxed by some mangy mutt and our distant cousin!" Raph proclaimed.

"No kidding." Donnie concurred.

Before either one could get up, Leo and Mikey were tossed at them as well. As they were trying to get up, Rahzar started towards them with claws extended. Before he could do anything though, Tokka put a hand on his shoulder.

"Rahzar, look!"

He pointed towards a large clock tower on top of the police station. The time was approaching 5am, which seemed to worry the two mutants.

"Carol… we must return." Tokka said.

"Indeed." he agreed before turning back to the turtles. "We will finish this another time."

The two then took off, leaving the turtles bruised, beaten, and more confused than ever.

"Well…" Mikey spoke up. "That could've gone better."

...

The turtles made it back to the apartment, bandaging up various wounds and bruises.

"Ok, what the shell was that?" Mikey asked.

"I was able to get a look at them, and from what I could tell, 'Rahzar' was probably a German Shepard at one point." Donnie explained. "And 'Tokka' looked like an alligator snapping turtle."

"Thanks Donn'I' the science guy," Raph remarked. "What I wanna know is what they were doing in a police station."

"I can answer that one." Mikey declared, fishing into his belt. "Rahzar dropped this when he threw me."

He pulled the photo out of his belt, pointing to the boy in the picture.

"He wanted to find this kid, Jeff Duh- something."

"And they said another name before they left," Leo remembered. "Carol."

"Hmm, interesting." Donnie mused before sitting down at a desktop computer. "Maybe if I can hack into the Police Database, I can cross reference the two names and see if i can find something."

"See what you can do Don." Leo told him. "In the meantime, we need to get back out there and find them."

"Are you crazy?" Raph asked. "We just got our shells waxed by those freaks! Now you want us to go out looking for them?"

"Those two seemed hell-bent on finding that kid." Leo responded. "And I get the feeling they're gonna tear the city apart looking for him."

...

Tokka and Rahzar managed to climb through the apartment window mere seconds before Carol came in. She seemed even more exhausted than before, and she looked like she'd been crying.

"What's wrong?" Tokka asked concerned.

Carol sat down, putting her head in her hands.

"I just got fired..." she sobbed, "A customer accused me of assault after I accidentally dropped a pot of coffee on them."

Rahzar growled at this.

"I could barely pay rent with my two jobs. Now what will I do?"

"Is there anything we can do?" Rahzar asked.

Carol shook her head.

"No." she told them. "I- I'll find a way… I did before, and I can do it again."

She wiped her eyes, straightening up.

"I'll find another job, get a better apartment, then I'll finally be able to get an appeal from the court."

"Appeal?" Tokka asked.

Carol nodded.

"I'm protesting the court's decision that I'm unfit to care for Jeffrey." she explained. "If it goes through, I could take him away, give him the life he deserves."

These thoughts seemed to pull her from her dark state as she smiled again. Standing up, she turned to the two mutants, giving both of them a hug.

"I'm so glad I stopped on my jog and found you two." she told them.

"Carol," Rahzar began to ask as she got up to leave. "Do you know where Jeffrey is now?"

She paused.

"With my dad." she admitted. "Probably at our old house. Though he'll be at his kindergarten class around 7. I sometimes pass by his elementary school on my way to work." She sighed. "It's one of the only times I can see him."

The two mutants look at each other upon hearing this. They exchanged glances as Carol walked into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Once the door closed and the water turned on, they spoke in hushed whispers.

"Perhaps we don't need to ask for help." Rahzar deduced.

"We can follow her to where the boy goes to school." Tokka surmised.

"And then we can have the boy take us to the man who hurt Carol." Rahzar added, his fangs dripping with saliva.

...

Across town, Leo, Raph, and Mikey were still searching for Tokka and Rahzar. Their efforts however, didn't yield any results.

"Dude we've been searching all night," Mikey whined. "I think even dangerous mutants need rest."

"I guess you're right Mikey." Leo admitted. "Let's head back and see what Donnie came up with."

They all jumped across the rooftops, making their way back to the antique shop. As they did, Carol Dunham walked right past the alley the turtles had just been in, walking to work. Unknown to her, Tokka and Rahzar were following her from the rooftops. They made sure to stay with her while also keeping out of sight. After a while, Carol pausing in front of a local public school as several young children were filing off of several school buses.

"Do you see the boy?" Tokka asked.

"I cannot tell." Rahzar admitted. "They are all older than the boy in the photo."

"Wait!" Tokka exclaimed. "Down there!"

Rahzar took a look at a certain boy Tokka had eyed. He had sandy blonde hair identical to Carols, and seemed to carry himself in the same way she did. However, the icing on the cake was when the boy laid eyes on Carol. His face lit up and he ran up to her, hugging her around the waist. Carol pulled him closer, neither of them willing to let go.

"That's him." Rahzar declared. "Jeffrey Dunham."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Tokka asked about to jump down.

"Hold on my friend." Rahzar cautioned. "There are too many humans. We must wait. Wait until the boy is alone."

"Very well." Tokka relented.

...

Back at the apartment, the turtles gathered around Donnie to see what he had come up with.

"It took a bit of digging," Donnie admitted. "But I believe I found our mystery people."

"What do you got Don?" Leo asked.

"I was able to find a recent court case involving a Carol Dunham, who was attempting to gain full custody of her 6-year old brother Jeffrey from her father, David Dunham."

"Not exactly an upstanding citizen I take it?" Raph guessed.

"Right." Donnie confirmed. "Several alleged accounts of child abuse, but nothing was ever proven. Unfortunately, since Mr. Dunham has a job at a construction company and a real house while Carol works to waitress jobs and lives in the slums, the court ruled her unfit to care for little Jeffrey."

"That's just sad bro." Mikey weighed in.

"Yeah." Leo agreed. "Tokka and Rahzar must live with Carol."

"And they want to see this little family get back together." Raph added.

"Regardless of how many people get hurt in the process." Donnie dreaded.

"Then come on guys. We need to find those two before nightfall, or else things are gonna get ugly." Leo declared.

...

Recess came for Jeffrey's class as they all went running wild onto the playground. As the other children ran around, screaming and laughing, Jeffrey wandered over to the fence surrounding the playground, sitting down in a small patch of dandelions. He picked one, closing his eyes tightly.

"I wish someone will make daddy leave me alone, and let me stay with Carol." he wished.

Taking a deep breath, he blew on the dandelion, spreading the seeds. As he opened his eyes, Tokka and Rahzar stood before him, just on the other side of the fence. His eyes went wide as a big grin spread across his face.

"Did you come to grant my wish?"

"Yes." Tokka confirmed. "We're here to take you to Carol."

"Would you like that?" Rahzar asked.

Jeffrey's entire body lit up as he jumped to his feet.

"Uh huh!" he declared. "But can we get hotdogs first? I'm hungry. Dad forgot to pack me a lunch again."

"Of course." Rahzar answered.

...

Across town, the turtles were making their way across the rooftops once again, desperate to find Tokka and Rahzar.

"Man the city is so beautiful in the daytime!" Mikey commented. "We gotta come out here in the day more often."

Leo slapped a hand over Mikey's mouth, shushing him.

"Mikey, now is not the time to be shouting like that. It's daytime, remember? That means more people, less shadows, and more chances for us to be seen."

"Sorry Leo." Mikey apologized. "I'll marvel quieter."

"Thank you." Leo replied.

Down below them, a cop car was parked by a donut shop as an officer walked out with a box of glazed donuts. As he opened the door to his car, a call came onto the police banner.

 _"Attention all units, we've got a man down on 11th and Bleaker raving about his hotdog cart being stolen. Repeat, we have a stolen hotdog cart on 11th and Bleaker."_

"Stolen hotdog cart?" Mikey asked. "I know crime's been slow lately but this is just sad."

"Still could be worth looking into." Leo decided. "Could be our rogue mutants looking for a snack."

"How far are we from Bleaker?" Raph questioned.

"About a block or two." Donnie supplied.

"Then let's haul shell!" Leo called out.

...

In an alleyway, Tokka was carrying Jeffrey on his back while eating a hotdog. The boy was practically covered in ketchup and was laughing wildly.

"Mind your manners Jeffrey." Rahzar told him regarding his eating style.

"You sounds like Carol!" Jeffrey told him, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

As they kept moving, the turtles leapt in their way with weapons drawn.

"I'm only gonna ask once," Leo told him, pointing his sword. "Let the kid go."

Jeffrey looked over Tokka's shoulders, staring at the turtles.

"Whoa! More cool monsters!"

"Stay back Jeffrey." Rahzar cautioned. "These turtles mean to hurt you."

"Says the mutt kidnapping him." Raph countered spinning his sai.

"Hey!" Jeffrey called out, crossing his arms. "Don't be mean to Mr. Wolf! He and Mr. Turtle are here to grant my wish!"

"And what wish is that?" Donnie asked.

"To make my dad stop hurting me and to let me stay with Carol all the time!"

"Really?" Mikey asked. "Guys this all sounds pretty good. Why not just let them go? I mean they aren't hurting anybody."

"Not yet anyway." Raph replied.

As he said that, a half-eaten, ketchup covered hotdog collided with his face. Jeffrey stuck his tongue out at him, wiggling his fingers in his ears.

"You're mean! Go away!"

"Kid we're trying to help you here!" Raph told him.

"Leave us alone!" Rahzar yelled pointing his claws at them.

As he did so, his claws shot out at them. Thinking fast, the turtles used their weapons to deflect the oncoming projectiles. Rahzar looked down at his claws smiling.

"This new form gets better and better." Rahzar complemented before shooting out more claws at them.

As the turtles continued deflecting the oncoming claws, Rahzar and Tokka made their escape.

"Good luck Mr. Wolf!" Jeffrey cheered. "Kick their butts!"

Tokka smirked, liking Jeffrey more and more. Tokka then started climbing up the side of the building as Rahzar kept firing at the turtles. He then grabbed a nearby dumpster and threw it at them, using it as cover for his escape. The turtles quickly jumped out of the way to avoid it. As they regained their composure, they saw the two mutants had fled.

"Donnie," Leo began to ask. "You wouldn't happen to know Carol's address would you?"

"As a matter of fact." Donnie answered.

...

Tokka pulled Jeffrey through the window of the apartment, setting the boy on the bed. Rahzar came through himself shortly after. The little boy was practically jumping with glee, grinning widely.

"That was so cool Mr. Wolf! How did you do the claw thing?"

"I honestly don't know." Rahzar admitted. "It just… came to me."

"Can I see your claws?"

Rahzar nodded and extended his claws so Jeffrey could see them. As the boy ran his finger along one, he winced, pulling his hand away as blood formed.

"Ouch..."

"Careful Jeffery." Tokka cautioned. "We don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I always hurt myself, sometimes badder than this." Jeffery told them. "I'm okay."

...

Outside the building, the turtles finally arrived.

"So how are we gonna save a kid that doesn't even want to be saved?" Raph asked.

"I have no idea." Leo admitted. "But we gotta try."

"Her apartment is on the third floor." Donnie told them.

"Then let's do this." Leo declared.

They all drew their weapons and jumped through the window, much to the surprise of Tokka, Rahzar, and Jeffrey.

"You again." Tokka said shocked.

"Look guys, we don't want to fight you." Mikey told them.

"We don't?" Raph asked. "Cause I kinda do."

Jeffery stood up, getting between the turtles and his two friends.

"Leave us alone!" he shouted. "You meanies!"

"You heard him." Rahzar concurred.

"Not gonna happen." Leo replied.

"Jeffrey stay back." Rahzar cautioned. "We will handle them."

With that, the two mutants charged at the turtles as Jeffrey crawled under the bed. Rahzar kept making constant swipes as Mikey, who was bouncing around them all.

"Ha! Too slow, Rahzar!" Mikey called out.

Rahzar then fired several claws at Mikey. Before they could hit, Raph jumped in front of him and spun his sai deflecting them all.

"Thanks bro." Mikey told him.

Leo and Donnie meanwhile were swinging their respective weapons at Tokka, but his tough hide and spiked shell shielded him from every one of them. Tokka took a swipe at Leo with his claw, scratching his arm. Leo cried out in pain as Tokka moved in closer.

"Get away from him!" Donnie called out swinging his staff at Tokka's head.

Tokka stumbled back a bit as Leo and Donnie closed in. Rahzar noticed this and growled.

"Leave my friend alone!" Rahzar called out shoving Mikey and Raph as he charged at Leo.

He grabbed Leo and pinned him up against the wall. He then extended his claws, ready to finish him off. That's when the door to the apartment opened as Carol came running in.

"What in the name of all things Holy is going on in here?!" she screamed.

The turtles, Tokka, Rahzar, and Jeffrey just stood there surprised. When her eyes landed on Jeffrey, they went wide.

"Jeffrey!" she yelled, running to him and grabbing him. "What are you doing here? I got a call from your school that said you disappeared during recess! I was worried sick!"

"Mr. Wolf and Mr. Turtle came and promised to grants my wish."

Carol blinked, then turned to Tokka and Rahzar.

"Guys?" she asked in confusion. "What's going on? Why did you take Jeffrey?"

"You have done so much for us," Rahzar explained. "We just wanted to do something for you."

"So you took Jeffrey?" Carol asked. "Guys… while I understand where you're coming from, you can't just take Jeffrey away. This could get me… us… into serious trouble."

"Yeah, listen to your friend there." Donnie interjected.

Rahzar turned to the purple turtle, snarling in anger.

"Stay out of this!"

He went to rake his claws down on the turtle, only for Carol to get in the way.

"Rahzar, stop!"

Unfortunately, he didn't stop fast enough. His claws caught her across the face, sending her careening into the kitchenette. The entire world seemed to freeze in that moment, the silence only broken by Jeffrey's horrified scream.

"CAROL!"

He ran to his sister's side as she stood up, clutching her face as blood pooled through her fingers. Jeffrey turned to Rahzar angrily, clutching his sister's leg.

"You hurt Carol!" He yelled. "You hurt her! Just like dad does!"

"I-" Rahzar tried to explain, dropping Leo.

"No Jeffrey… It was an accident." Carol said, holding her brother. "Rahzar didn't mean it."

After Carol said that, Rahzar remembered something. Something his former owner said about what he'd done to him and Tokka many times.

 _"It was just an accident."_

That's what he said if anyone asked what happened to them. Rahzar looked down at his claws in horror.

"What have I become?" he asked himself before taking off.

Tokka watched his friend leave, then turned to Carol. Sadly, he turned away, jumping out of the window after Rahzar. This left the turtle alone with Carol and Jeffrey.

"Are you two ok?" Leo asked.

Carol nodded.

"Not the worst wounds I've gotten." she told them. "Thanks for asking."

Jeffrey walked up to the turtles, looking up at them sadly.

"Mr. Wolf and Mr. Turtle were bad guys…. Weren't they?"

"No Jeffrey." Carol interjected. "They just…."

"They meant well," Donnie told him. "They just went about helping you the wrong way."

Jeffrey looked down, then he ran and hugged Carol. As the two siblings just held each other, the turtles made their exit.

"Isn't there anything we can do Don?" Mikey asked.

Donnie just shook his head sadly as they made their way home.

...

Tokka and Rahzar just continued running across the rooftops, with no set destination in mind.

"Rahzar, where do we go now?" Tokka asked.

"I truly don't know my friend." Rahzar admitted. "I truly don't know."


	23. A Cat Called Hob

_Hey, it's Raph again. Life has gone to shell since that Kraang ship appeared. We lost our home, our Sensei, and one of the only friends we have. However, I think I've found some new friends, a group of mutants led by Old Hob, a one eyed cat mutant. He's shown me that my bros and I ain't alone, and he's willing to do what my bros ain't. I think I'm gonna like it here._

...

Life in the apartment had taken some adjustment for all four turtles. There wasn't as much room as they were used to, and there was also only one bedroom, meaning privacy was nearly impossible. This was leading to a rise in tension between the already strung out turtles.

The turtles were using the roof of the apartment as a place to train, since there was nowhere inside that could accommodate for it. Raph was presently sparring with Leo. He was dishing out several swift strikes against the blue turtle, who was almost having trouble keeping up.

"C'mon Leo, am I moving too fast for ya?"

Hearing that, Leo swept Raph's legs, knocking him into the ground. Before he could get up, Leo placed a foot on him. Not having this, Raph grabbed the leg and threw Leo to the ground. Raph quickly got on top of him and put his arm in an arm lock, causing Leo to groan a bit. Thinking fast, Leo elbowed Raph in the head and turned around to kick him off. As Raph landed on the ground, he quickly got back up and charged at Leo, kicking and punching even more furiously than before. Leo was having a hard time keeping up and was getting pummeled by Raph's onslaught of attacks. One uppercut from Raph actually knocked Leo to the ground. Before Raph could move in to do more, Mikey and Donnie rushed towards him and grabbed him by the arms.

"Woah dude," Mikey called out. "Chill."

Leo rubbed his chin as he got back wrenched his arms free of his brothers' grip, giving all three of them a dirty look.

"What was that?" Leo asked. "It's called 'training'."

"I was training." Raph retorted. "Training the way we should be."

"By trying to beat the snot out of each other?" Mikey asked.

"Exactly!" Raph replied. "Because that's what the bad guys are doing to us out there! They're not holding back. They're not wearing kid gloves. No, they're fighting with everything they've got, and we should do the same!"

"We've faced some pretty nasty characters I'll admit." Leo conceded. "And we should be ready, but that doesn't mean we should try and kill each other Raph!"

"You're just afraid to do what is necessary!" Raph snapped. "Maybe if we'd stopped holding back, none of this would have happened!"

"Raph-" Donnie tried.

"No Don. I'm not holding my tongue anymore." Raph interrupted.

"Look Raph I get it." Leo tried to reason. "We're all high strung with Splinter missing, April mad at us, and the mutagen situation, but that means we have to keep our heads. Now more than ever!"

"And how's that been working for us, huh? I mean, we've been doing that for how long now? And we're no closer to finding all the mutagen canisters OR Splinter!"

"Well we have found 13 out of the 60 canisters." Donnie reported. "So we're off to a good start."

Raph let out an angry howl, then turned towards the edge of the building.

"You know what, fine." he snarled. "You guys wanna keep sucking your thumbs, you do that. I'm gonna do what I should have done long ago."

He reached up and pulled his mask off his face, tossing it onto the ground.

"I'm done."

"Raph wait!" Leo called out as Raph leapt off the roof.

Leo just stood there as Raph leapt across the rooftops.

"I can't believe he's gone." Mikey lamented.

"Eh don't worry," Donnie reassured. "Raph just needs to let off some steam.

"I hope you're right Don." Leo said just looking forward. "I hope you're right."

…

Raph landed in a trash-strewn alley, giving a loose can a kick. It went flying across the alley, rebounding off the dumpster before rolling along the pavement. Raph let out another angry howl, then promptly flopped onto the ground, pulling his legs closer to his chest.

"Stupid Leo. Stupid holding back. Stupid Kraang..." he cursed.

As he sat there in the alley, a figure watched him, perched on the fire escape. A single yellow eye seemed to glow as the figure jumped off the fire escape, landing in front of Raph.

"Well, well, well." The figure commented. "Looks like someone's having a rough night."

Raph leapt up to his feet in surprise.

"What the-" Raph let out. "Who are you?"

The figure stepped out of the shadows to reveal a brown cat in a trench coat and an eye-patch. It looked at Raph, a strange smile on its feline face.

"My friends call me Old Hob." the cat replied, offering a hand to the turtle. "What about you? You got a name?"

Raph just stared at the hand, not offering his own.

"Raphael."

Hob gave a nod, taking back his hand.

"Never seen any turtle mutants around here." Hob mentioned, attempting to make casual conversation. "You new to the mutation game?"

"Hardly." Raph remarked. "Been this way my whole life."

Hob raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Now ain't that a shock." he said. "I've only been like this for a few weeks now. Ever since that weird stuff fell on me while I was looking for some food."

"How about that." Raph replied.

Hob gave a sniff, his eye turning towards the sky.

"There's a storm brewing." he surmised. "I can sense it. We best get to shelter."

"We?" Raph asked.

"You don't look like you got a place to go. Hob remarked. "Do ya?"

Raph let out a sigh before lowering his head.

"No."

Hob smirked, then jumped up onto the fire escape again.

"Then follow me." he suggested. "I know just the place for a homeless mutant."

"This I gotta see." Raph said to himself. "Alright Hob, lead the way."

With that, the two mutants took off with this mysterious new mutant leading the way.

…

Back at the apartment, Leo was looking out the window keeping an eye out for Raph, while Donnie was working on a retro-mutagen serum in the kitchen and Mikey was watching another episode of Justice Force. In this episode, Silver Sentry and Wingnut were in the midst of a heated argument.

 _"I'm telling you Silver Sentry,"_ Wingnut insisted. _"The evil Jester must be stopped! We can't afford to waste anytime!"_

 _"You are blowing this out of proportions, Wingnut."_ Silver Sentry insisted. _"I know that the Jester killed your old partner Screw Loose, but the Justice Force do not take the law into their own hands!"_

 _"Uh, technically, we do."_ Zippy lad chirped.

 _"Not the point, Zippy Lad."_ Silver Sentry admonished.

 _"Look, the only reason I signed on to be part of this team was because I thought you guys were willing to do what is necessary."_ Wingnut seemed to snarl. _"Guess I was wrong… I'll leave my badge and code ring on your desk, Silvery Wimpy."_

 _"Wingnut!"_ Sentry called out as Wingnut walked off.

"Wow," Mikey remarked. "Kinda reminds me of the fight you and Raph had earlier."

"Speaking of Raph, I'm starting to get worried." Leo shared. "That skies looking nasty."

Donnie gave a nod.

"The weather report did say there was a 70% chance of thunderstorms tonight." Donnie stated.

"We should probably go find him." Leo decided.

"I don't know Leo," Donnie shared. "Raph seemed pretty serious about being done."

"That doesn't matter." Leo told him. "If we're gonna survive out here, we need to stick together, as a team. That means all four of us."

Mikey grabbed Raph's mask off of the couch, tucking it in his belt.

"Then let's go find him."

The other turtles nodded in response. Then, all three of them leapt out the window in search of their brother.

…

Hob led Raph towards an old warehouse on the edge of down, lifting up a corner of the chain-link fence.

"Through here." he told the turtle. "Then we're finally home."

Raph went through the fence, with Hob not far behind. They approached the warehouse, Hob sliding in front of Raph and delivering a patterned knock on the door.

"Stray, it's Hob. And I brought a newbie."

The door opened up and Hob walked inside, Raph following behind. Once they were inside, Raph's jaw hit the floor. The entire warehouse was full of at least a dozen mutants of different sizes and species. There was a large mutant dog with bone spurs coming out of its arm surrounded by about five or six smaller dog mutants. There was a spider man reclining in a hammock made out of a web on the ceiling, and raccoon man sifting through a pile or garbage. Off to the side, a mutant bull seemed to be in the middle of a card game with a mutant mole and crab. Finally, to top off the strangeness of the entire seen, there was a large aquarium, probably stolen from the New York Aquarium, which contained a large mutant fish. Said fish noticed Hob and Raph and swam up to the wall of his container.

"I see you found another one." the fish commented in a thick Central American accent.

"Whoa." Raph let out. "What's with the talkin calamari roll?"

"That there's Xever." Hob introduced. "I found him not long after his transformation. Guy was flopping about unable to breathe. We had him in the Hudson until we were able to snag the aquarium for him."

"I owe Hob my life, such as it is." Xever admitted.

"We all do." The large dog man added. "If it weren't for him, we'd all be out on the street just waiting for the humans to find us and wipe us out."

"Wow." Raph said impressed. "A homeless shelter for mutants."

"That's one way of looking at it." Hob agreed. "Personally I like to think of us as something more."

"Like what?" Raph asked.

"Family." Hob answered. "Us mutants gotta stick together, because if we don't have each other's backs, we got nothing."

Those words rang with familiarity as Raph remembered what Leo had said before. For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt, but quickly shook it off. He'd made his choice, and Leo had made his.

"You get what I'm sayin?" Hob asked.

"... I think so. Yeah." Raph responded.

"Good, cause I want you to join us." Hob offered.

Raph perked up in surprise.

"Seriously?" Raph asked. "I mean, ya just met me."

"Yeah." Hob answered. "Like I said, we mutants gotta stick together. And if anyone tried to ruin that, well we ain't gonna hold back that's for sure."

Raph smirked at that, liking what this cat was offering.

"You know what Hob, you're alright." Raph remarked holding out his hand.

Hob wasted no time taking and shaking it.

"Come on, let's see if old Spiderbytes can whip you up a place to sleep." Hob told him.

…

Outside, thunder began to echo across the sky. The three turtles didn't pay it any mind though. Their focus was on something different, finding their brother.

"Any sign of him?" Leo asked.

"Nothing over here." Mikey commented.

"Nor over here." Donnie replied.

Leo groaned in response.

"Where the shell could he be?" Leo questioned.

There was a bright crack of lightning, followed by an almost deafening clap of thunder. Mikey jumped in shock.

"Guys, can we go home now?" He begged.

"Not until we find Raph." Leo declared. "We're not leaving him out here.

"Hey I want to find him too." Mikey reminded. "But-"

Before he could finish, there was a crashing sound coming from the street. They bolted to the edge of the roof to see a giant dog breaking into an electronic store.

"I got eyes on one giant dog at six o'clock." Donnie reported.

"Aw man," Mikey lamented. "Rahzar again?"

"Not this time Mikey." Donnie replied, pulling a pair of binoculars from his duffel bag. "If I had to wager a guess, I'd say he's a mutant…. Corgi?"

"Really?" Mikey asked. "I thought Corgi's were cute."

"You can tell him that when we ask him what he's doing in that store." Leo interrupted.

With that, the three leapt down to the ground and into the store, where the mutant dog was grabbing random items off the shelves and stuffing them into a bag. All around him, about half a dozen mutant puppies were grabbing smaller electronics, bringing them to the larger dog like a pet with a stick.

"Hopefully this will be enough." The large dog growled, taking the spoils from the puppies.

As he turned to exit, he came face to face with the turtles.

"Heel boy!" Leo ordered.

The puppies all snapped to attention, running to the large dog and growling at the turtles. The large dog patted one of them on the head before facing the turtles.

"Sic 'em." he ordered.

The puppies all launched at the turtles, yipping and snapping like wild animals. In response, the turtles swatted away each dog that came at them. Donnie continued spinning his staff and batting away one dog after another.

"This is why Master Splinter said you could never have a puppy Mikey." Donnie told him.

"Yeah." Mikey agreed, just barely holding off a puppy with the chain of his Nunchucks. "Though after this, I think I'm becoming a cat person."

Having enough, Leo jumped over the hordes of puppies and made his way to the big dog. Leo took a swipe at him with his sword, but the dog just blocked it with his oversized fist. He then used that fist to swat Leo away, knocking him into a shelf. The dog loomed over him and raised his fist ready to take him out, but Donnie and Mikey jumped onto his arms.

"No!" Mikey yelled.

"Get off of him!" Donnie demanded.

The dog then slammed his arms together, effectively slamming the two turtles together and causing them to fall to the ground.

"I don't have time for this." the dog snarled.

As the turtles tried picking themselves up, the dog whistled, summoning his puppies. The puppies then all ran out of the giant hole made by their more massive master. The dog then followed suit, leaving the turtles dazed and confused.

"Well, that was embarrassing." Donnie admitted.

"This is becoming a pattern." Mikey groaned. "One I really wanna break."

"I agree." Leo concurred. "What do you guys say we find this mutts dog house?"

Donnie and Mikey both nodded in response.

"I managed to slip a tracker on one of the puppies." Donnie told his brothers. "I'll have their location in two shakes of a turtle's tail."

"We have tails?" Mikey questioned, attempting to see past his shell to check for a tail.

Donnie just rolled his eyes as he activated his shell cell.

"Come on!" Donnie called out following the signal.

Leo and Mikey followed in response.

…

Raph rolled over in the spider-web hammock that had been made up for him, finding it difficult to get to sleep. His last conversation with Leo kept playing over and over in his head. Finally, he just sat up in annoyance, rubbing his face. It felt weird not having his mask, and for a moment, he began to regret his decision to leave. However, his fist clenched and he shook his head. He'd made his choice, and he wasn't backing down this time.

As he sat up, the door to the warehouse opened as the Stray and his puppies came inside. Raph raised a nonexistent eyebrow in confusion, jumping down in front of him.

"Yo, where ya been?" Raph asked. "It's like 3 am."

"Out on a supply run for Hob." the stray explained.

Raph looked at the large bag slung over the dog's shoulder in confusion.

"That's a lot of supplies." he noted, then his eye caught something. "Hang on..."

Raph snagged one of the puppies by the scruff of the neck, plucking a tiny metal disk that looked like a turtle shell off its fur. His eyes narrowed.

"Hey Stray." Raph called. "You wouldn't have happened to have run into a trio of turtles would you? 'Bout my height, ninja weapons, colored masks?"

"As a matter of fact yes." the stray answered. "Friends of yours?"

"Brothers actually." Raph replied, setting the puppy down. "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

Raph pocketed the disk, then slipped outside. He leaned against the front door, then waited.

…

Leo, Donnie, and Mikey were closing in on the signal emanating from the tracker, which was leading them to the edge of town to an abandoned warehouse district. As they ran, Mikey let out a groan.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost Mikey." Donnie answered. "I am curious what that mutant mutt is doing all the way out here."

"It's discreet and far away from the city." Leo answered. "Perfect place to lay low."

They were finally able to pinpoint the exact warehouse after about a minute, and they were shocked at who was waiting for them.

"Is that-" Mikey started to ask.

"Raph!" Leo yelled as they leapt down to the street.

Raph looked up at his brothers as they all landed in front of him. He fished into his belt, pulling out the turtle tracker.

"I believe this is yours, Don."

He held it out to the purple turtle. Donnie took it back almost shocked.

"Thanks…" Donnie told him. "Where'd you get this?"

"Found it on one of the pets of a friend of mine." Raph answered.

"Well we ran into that 'friend' and his pets as they were robbing an electronics store." Leo told him. "Did he mention that?"

Raph's eyes narrowed.

"As a matter of fact, he did not."

He turned around, throwing the doors to the warehouse open.

"HOB!"

Hob, talking to some of the mutants, turned to face Raph upon hearing his name.

"You called?" he asked.

He then took note of the turtles behind him.

"More turtles." Hob observed. "Friends of yours?"

"Brothers actually." Raph answered. "And they've got quite the story to tell. They told me the Stray here was breaking into an electronics store."

"Yeah!" Mikey confirmed. "Care to tell why Dogpound was stealing that stuff?!"

"Dogpound?" Donnie questioned.

"What?" Mikey asked. "He's a dog, and he pounded us into the-"

"We get it." Leo interrupted, turning back to Hob. "Care to explain, Hob?"

Hob looked at the turtles, then clapped his paws together.

"Turtles, I understand how bad this looks, but I give you my word that 'Dogpound' here was not breaking any of the human laws."

"Tell that to the store we saw him robbing." Leo countered.

"Tell me, was this the locally owned electronics shop off 9th street?" Hob asked, a note of confidence in his voice.

"Yeah?" Leo answered raising an eyebrow.

Hob smirked, then turned up to the ceiling.

"Spiderbytes!" Hobs called. "Our friends here saw 'Dogpound' breaking into your old store. You okay with that?"

Spiderbytes gave off a few clicking noises, tapping his spindly legs against the metal supports of the roof in a code. Donnie quickly recognized it for Morse code.

"He's saying it's alright." Donnie translated. "The shops been closed down ever since he got mutated."

"Yeah, it's kinda hard to run a shop when you're a spider with no working vocal cords." Hob added. "Thankfully we found an old book on Morse code in the garbage, so now we can talk to him."

"Neat." Donnie admitted.

"But what I don't get is why you need all this tech in the first place." Leo continued.

Hob gestured to the large tank, where Xever was currently swimming about.

"It's for him." Hob explained. "We're trying to get him a breathing machine and a pair of legs so he can get out of that tank."

"Oh." Leo let out.

Xever swam over to the glass wall of the tank, placing a webbed hand against it.

"You try living in a small, enclosed space for weeks on end." He swore. "That, and Herman snores like a log."

"Fair enough." Donnie admitted. "You know, I can try and whip something up for you. I know my way around machines."

"Trust me," Mikey reassured. "He's the best."

Hob gave Raph a look.

"Can you vouch for him?"

Raph scoffed.

"Hey, you want fish boy here to walk and breathe air, Donnie's the one to go to." he promised. "He once built a supercomputer out of a lunchbox and a coat hanger on a dare."

"It was a bit rudimentary I'll admit." Donnie shared. "Programing in computer games was nearly impossible."

Raph just shrugged it off.

"Point is, he's the best." Raph told him. "Trust me on that.

"If you insist." Hob replied. "Dogpound, show our new friend where he can set up shop. Spiderbytes, see if you can whip up a few more hammocks."

Raph's eyes widened

"Whoa, whoa, hang on a sec." he insisted. "You guys ain't staying, are ya?"

"At least until Xever is on his feet, so to speak." Leo told him. "Besides, kinda want to see your new little clubhouse."

Raph grumbled in response.

"Fine, but don't go thinkin' this changes anything." Raph warned him. "I ain't gonna be your little soldier any longer."

He turned and began walking away, heading out of the warehouse, much to Hob's surprise.

"Raphael, where're you going?"

"To get some air." Raph snapped.

Raph then slammed the door shut as he walked out. Hob sighed, then went to go after him.

"Dogpound, I'm going out."

Dogpound growled.

"Why are you calling me that?" he asked.

"Because it's better than the Stray." Hob replied.

Dogpound groaned in response, but just shrugged it off. Leo just watched as Hob went after Raph, his gut screaming that something wasn't right. His face must have shone it because Mikey slid up next to him, whispering.

"Leo, you okay?" he asked. "You got that look again."

"I don't like that Hob guy." Leo told him. "Something about that guy rubs me the wrong way."

"You feel it too, huh." Donnie whispered. "That cat's got something up his sleeves."

"I'm gonna tail Raph," he decided. "You keep working on Xever's legs."

"Right." Donnie replied as Leo ran out the door.

…

Hob caught up to Raph a few blocks into town, finding the turtle perched on the lamp post. He landed on an adjacent one, perching like a cat.

"Raphael, are you alright?" he asked. "Seems you got some beef with your brothers."

"Yeah well…" Raph answered. "The reason you found me in that alley is because I had a bit of a falling out with them. I keep telling them we shouldn't be holding back with our enemies, but they don't see it that way."

Hob gave a nod.

"I see." he remarked. "So those swords on his back are just for show. He doesn't have the guts to do everything it takes to protect those we care about."

Hob gave a snort.

"I hate creatures like that. Those guys out there don't hold back, why should we?"

"That's what I said." Raph replied. "You don't see the bad guys wearing kiddie gloves, why should we?"

"Exactly." Hobs agreed. "I knew there was a reason I liked you Raphael."

"I guess it's because we both see the world for what it really is." Raph guessed.

As the two mutants talked, Raph caught something out of the corner of his eye. It was a Purple Dragon, one that seemed to be eyeing a local jewelry store suspiciously. Raph peered through the darkened windows of the shop, noticing a few figures moving about. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they weren't the owners of the store. The two then turned to each other, both of them getting a grin on their face.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Hob asked.

"Oh yeah." Raph replied drawing his sai.

The two then dropped to the ground and landed right behind the Purple Dragon as the others came out.

"Evening Gentlemen." Hobs greeted, cracking his knuckles. "Nice night isn't it?"

"Well it was until these punks decided to ruin it." Raph retorted, punching his palm.

The Purple Dragons wasted no words as they tried rushing the two of them. Raph blocked a punch with a sai and gave him a kick to the stomach. He then knocked out another one with his other sai's blunt end. Hob meanwhile, extended claws from the ends of his fingers and slashed at several Purple Dragons that came at him. He then knocked one dragon to the ground and kept slashing at his face repeatedly. When Raph noticed this, his eyes went wide and he jumped over to Hob, grabbing the cat's wrist.

"What the shell are you doing?!"

"Giving these punks what they deserve." Hob answered.

"They deserve a beat down, that's for sure, but I ain't for killing anyone." Raph snapped. "And if you keep going, this kid's gonna be leaving here in a body bag!"

"What happened to all that talk about not holding back?" Hob asked. "That's why you're here isn't it?"

"Well, yeah but-"

They were interrupted by the sound of sirens approaching their location. Hob's ear twitched at the sound as he reluctantly dropped the kid.

"See you back at the warehouse Raphael." Hob told him, his voice cold.

"Yeah, right." Raph responded as Hob took off, leaving him standing there.

"New friend not what you had in mind?" a voice asked.

Raph turned to see Leo standing on a rooftop behind him. Raph growled as he jumped up the fire escape, landing beside his brother.

"What are you doing here?" He snarled.

"Just making sure you're alright." Leo replied. "And it looks like your first impression of Old Hob was a bit premature."

"Look, Hob may have gone a bit far this time, but he ain't wrong about us needing to do what's necessary." Raph argued. "Besides, I thought I made it clear that I ain't gonna listen to you anymore."

"Very clear. I'll meet you back at the warehouse." Leo said as he started walking off, then he paused for a second. "One last thing. I don't need a soldier Raph, I need a brother."

Leo then leapt off the building and began running back, once again leaving Raph alone in the dust.

…

Back at the warehouse, Donnie was putting the last finishing touches on Xever's robotic legs. As he worked, Mikey had been going about the warehouse, naming every mutant he came across. At the moment, he was in the middle of a debate with Spiderbytes over what name was better.

"And I'm telling you, Spiderbytes is a lame name!" Mikey countered.

The large spider clicked irritably, hissing at Mikey as his mandibles flared.

"Come on, Black Arachnia is so much cooler." Mikey insisted.

Spiderbytes hissed loudly, then spat out a long line of wed that smacked right onto Mikey's face, gluing his mouth shut. As the orange turtles futilely tried to pull the stuff of his face, the spider seemed to be laughing, his long legs clacking against the metal.

"I think he's satisfied with what he's got." Donnie told him.

Mikey continued to try and free his face as Xever laughed from his tank.

"I am surprised none of you tartarugas have thought to do that before.

"Trust me, we have." Raph remarked as he entered the warehouse. "Many. Many. MANY. Times."

"Hey Raph." Donnie greeted. "How was your little outing with Hob?"

Raph glanced over at Hob, who was in the middle of a conversation with Dogpound, the kid's blood still on his claws.

"Eventful." He finally answered.

Donnie raised an eyebrow to that, but figured it best to let the subject drop. He tightened the last bolt, then smiled.

"Alright, I think that should do it." Donnie announced. "Just need to attach this to Xever."

Xever swam up to the top of the tank, draping himself over the edge while keeping his gills in the water. Donnie climbed up a ladder that had been set up against the tank, the breathing apparatus he'd designed in his hands. He then attached the apparatus to Xever, who gave a few experimental breaths.

"I do believe it is working." he remarked.

"Only one way to find out." Donnie replied.

He pulled Xever out of the tank, draping the fish over his shell and pulling him down to the ground level. Xever was nervous at first, then a big smirk graced his face.

"It's working!" he cried out. "I am out of that blasted tank and I can breathe!"

"And soon you'll walk too." Donnie told him, placing him on the table.

He then took the robotic legs and attached them to Xever.

"Alright Xever, try em out." Donnie told him.

Xever focused, then his left leg began to kick back and forth. He did the same with the right leg, then finally climbed off the table. He was a bit shaky at first, then he began walking around happily. Soon, he was running circles around the warehouse, laughing like a kid on Christmas.

"I never thought I would miss running so much!"

"Glad you like it." Donnie told him.

At that moment, Leo entered the warehouse, kinda shocked to see Xever standing on his robotic legs.

"Woah." Leo let out. "What's with the walking calamari roll?"

Mikey finally managed to free his face, gasping for air a bit as he shook the web off his face.

"Fishface finally got a set of legs again." Mikey explain, spitting out a piece of web.

"Fishface?" Donnie asked.

"Well it was either that or Robo-carp." Mikey answered.

Hob snorted a bit at Mikey's choice of names, approaching Fishface with a smile.

"Well, now that you've finally got legs again, how about you go on a walk?" Hob suggested. "I know you must be claustrophobic after weeks in that tank."

"Indeed." Fishface agreed walking over to Hob. "Have anywhere particular in mind?"

"Stick to the pier for now." Hob suggested. "Can't have the humans seeing you walking down Brooklyn."

"Sure thing." Fishface responded walking out.

"Great job, Don." Raph congratulated. "Now you guys can go home."

"You sure we can't get you to change your mind?" Mikey asked.

Raph just opened up the warehouse doors, gesturing for them to leave.

"I ain't going back. I'm staying here with Hob."

"Fine." Leo relented. "See ya around Raph. Come on guys."

With that, the three exited the building, but not before Leo turned back to Raph.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do," he told him. "I'm just asking you to keep your head on a swivel when it comes to Hob."

"Goodbye Leo." Raph growled.

Leo then left to join up with his brothers. Raph gladly slammed the door shut behind him, rubbing his face.

"I'm going back to bed." he groaned.

As Raph shuffled back towards his hammock, Dogpound approached Hob.

"Think it was wise to let the turtles go?"

"Not sure." Hob admitted. "We'll just have to wait and see if they become a problem."

…

Fishface stood on the docks of the New York Harbor, looking out at a small island in the distance. Smirking, he jumped into the water and began swimming towards it. As he pulled himself out of the water, he could hear the sounds of laughing and ribbiting coming from near the center of the island. He made his way there to see a skateboarding Gecko, a man sized pigeon snacking on some bread, and four frogs sitting around a campfire listening to some human.

"And that is my theory on the creation of the modern man." the Professor finished.

"Whoa dude..." Mondo Gecko gasped. "Mind. Blown."

Fishface began to move closer to the campfire, his new mechanical legs hissing with every step. These sounds didn't go unnoticed by the mutants of the group. They all perked up, the frogs all reaching for primitive weapons as Mondo grabbed his skateboard, holding it like a weapon.

"You heard it too, huh." Mondo whispered.

"Think it's Kraang?" Napoleon asked.

"If it is, they're in for a pecking." Pete promised.

Fishface came out into the open, holding up his hands in pacification.

"Calm down, mi amigos." He told them. "I am a friend."

"Woah." Mondo let out. "Another mutant?"

"Indeed." Fishface replied. "My name is Xever, though I seem to have gained a new name. Fishface."

Mondo snorted, lowering his board.

"Ha!" he laughed. "Sounds like a name Mikey would give you. Personally, I'd have called you Robo-carp."

"Mikey?" Fishface asked. "Turtles? Orange mask?"

"That's him." Genghis answered. "He named all of us mutants."

"The turtles are some of the greatest allies we could ever ask for." The Professor added. "It is thanks to them that we have this island to call our home."

Fishface stroked his chin. This was certainly unexpected, but could prove useful.

"I am well aware of the turtles… generosity." Xever told them. One I intend to extend to you."

"Invitation?" Attila wondered.

"You got some sort of club house for mutants or something?" Mondo questioned.

"Something like that." Fishface answered.

"Well, thanks but no thanks." Mondo told him.

"Yeah, we're happy here." Genghis added.

"Besides, someone's got to keep these guys safe in case the Kraang tries something funny with them." Napoleon concluded.

"Are you certain?" Fishface asked. "You would be in the company of many fellow mutants. You would not have to be so… isolated."

"We are not as isolated as you may think." The Professor told him. "We have each other, and the companionship of the turtles."

Fishface grumbled in response.

"So you're going to be… difficult about this." Fishface surmised.

Mondo's eyes twitched at that.

"What do you-?"

Fishface then kicked Mondo in the gut, sending him colliding with a wall of trash. He fell to the ground as the frogs gasped.

"Attack!" Attila declared.

All the frogs hopped towards Fishface ready to fight. Fishface then jumped in the air spinning and brought a metal foot down on top of Rasputin, causing him to fall with a thud. Pigeon Pete dive bombed out of the sky, attempting to peck at Fishface's head. Fishface quickly looked up and kicked Pete out of the sky and making him tumble to the ground. Mondo struggled to his feet at Fishface fought off the frogs one by one, his metal legs kicking through their makeshift weapons and sending them flying.

"We need help." he muttered.

Making a run for it, Mondo ran and dove off the edge of the island, landing in the water as he swam for shore.

…

The turtles continued making their way across the city, with Mikey feeling pretty down.

"Are we really gonna go on without Raph?" Mikey asked.

"He hasn't given us a choice, Mikey." Donnie replied. "He wants to stay with Hob and his gang, and nothing we say or do will change his mind."

"Yeah I know," Mikey acknowledged. "It's just… it's always been the four of us. How can we do it with just three?"

"I- Hang on..." Donnie said. "Guys, look."

They all turned to see Mondo Gecko climbing up from the river, much to their shock.

"Mondo?" Mikey asked. "What's he doing here?"

The three of them jumped down and ran over to their friend, who was currently coughing and hacking up water.

"Mikey?" He questioned, wiping his mouth. "That you?"

"Yeah little buddy it's me." Mikey reassured. "What are you doing out here?"

"Swimming for my life, man!" Mondo exclaimed. "The island's under attack dudes!"

"What?!" they all exclaimed.

"By who?" Leo asked.

"A taking sushi roll with robot legs!"

"Fishface." Leo snarled.

"Yeah, he said that was his name." Mondo replied. "Nice job on that one Mikey."

"Thanks dude." Mikey replied.

"Focus Mikey." Leo told him. "What was Fishface even doing there?"

"Trying to invite us to join his little mutant club. When we turned him down, he attacked us!"

Leo's fist clenched upon hearing that.

"I knew that Hob character was no good." Leo growled. "We've got to go help the Professor and the others."

"It might be too late Leo." Donnie rationalized. "But I think I may have an alternative solution."

He fished into his duffel bag, pulling out his T-phone.

"I installed a tracker in Fishface's legs." he explained. "I figured that it may come in handy should our feelings about Hob and his gang were proven legitimate."

"Nice." Mikey complimented.

"I'm coming too." Mondo insisted. "That fish is gonna pay for hurting my friends."

"No," Leo told him. "You head back and check on the Professor and the others. We'll find Fishface and see what he and his buddies are up to."

…

Raph tossed and turned in his sleep once more, unable to get comfortable. Every time he closed his eyes, he kept seeing Hob standing over that kid, murder in his eyes. More than that, Leo's words echoed in his head.

"Keep your head on a swivel around Hob."

"New friend's not the guy you thought he was."

"I don't need a soldier. I need a brother."

Raph growled and flopped onto his stomach in annoyance. As he did, he spied Hob sneaking passed his sleeping comrades, making his way for the door.

"Where the shell are you going?" Raph muttered quietly.

Raph decided to keep an eye on him, so he got out of his hammock and made his way towards the door.

…

The tracker in Fishface's legs led the three turtles to a warehouse a good mile or two from where Raph was staying. Perched on an adjacent rooftop, the turtles could see Fishface dragging a large sack inside, the contents squirming.

"What do you want to bet some of our friends are in there?" Mikey asked.

"Oh I know they are." Leo replied. "Question is, why? What is Hob up to?"

"Only one way to find out." Donnie answered.

The three then leapt to the ground and made their way across the street. Donnie wasted no time working to pick the lock on the door. Once the lock fell to the ground, he opened and the turtles made their way inside.

What they saw inside made all three turtles gasp in horror. There were rows of cages, quite a few of them occupied by different mutants. They could see Pigeon Pete unconscious in one of the cages, as well as Snakeweed, and one mutant that had Donnie turning a pale shade of green.

"Guys, that's Kirby O'Neil." he hissed, pointing to a cage containing the mutated bat.

"Whoa." Mikey let out. "What's Hob gonna do with all these mutants?"

"Wanna find out?" Hob's voice asked from behind them.

The three turtles quickly turned around, drawing their weapons, to face the mutant cat.

"So this is where you get your club members Hob?" Leo asked, gesturing to the imprisoned mutants behind them. "Mutant internment?"

"Not all of them." Hob corrected. "Just the… difficult ones."

"By difficult you mean the ones that protest to your little group?" Donnie surmised.

"They just don't understand." Hob argued. "The humans have had their time under the sun. Soon, it will be the mutant's turn to rise up. However, we cannot claim our rightful place in the world if we're divided. It's why the humans spend more time killing each other than anything else."

"So you keep them locked up until they agree with you?" Mikey asked, "That's messed up Yo!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Hob replied. "Besides, I don't really see it as imprisonment. I think of it more as… drafting."

"You think you and your friends are an army?" Leo asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well not yet." Hob admitted. "But in time, they will be. Once I have every mutant in the city under my command, we will take New York, and then the world."

"Not in this lifetime kitty cat." Leo promised.

Leo then charged towards Hob, who blocked the sword with his claws. Leo shoved him back and began trading sword strikes with his claws. Donnie and Mikey then charged towards him, but at that moment, Dogpound stepped in and swatted them away. Before they had a chance to recover, he grabbed then both by their belts, tossing them into an empty cage, slamming the door shut. Leo saw this and kicked Hob aside, and ran towards the cage. However, Dogpound's overgrown fist connected with the side of his head, sending him flying into the wall. As he tried to get up, Hob grabbed him by his mask, dragging him towards a different cage.

"You and your brothers are strong warriors." He remarked. "Maybe after you join me, I'll make you General's."

Before Hob could put him in a cage, a throwing star zoomed by and collided with one of the bars.

"I wouldn't bet on that!" a voice called out.

Hob turned to see Raphael standing in the doorway, looking very angry. Hob's eye went wide at the sight of the red turtle.

"Raphael..." he said nervously, "I thought you were asleep."

"I was," Raph told him. "But something in my gut kept me awake. Now put. My brother. Down."

"Look Raphael, I don't want to fight you." Hob told him.

"Yeah? Well tough for you." Raph remarked.

Raph leapt on top of Hob and tackled him to the ground. Leo took this opportunity to get up and head over to Donnie and Mikey's cage. He then used his sword to cut the lock, releasing them.

"Thanks Leo." Mikey told him.

"Come on, let's go help the others." Donnie suggested. "This fight is Raph's."

"Hold on a moment." Mikey said before running over to Raph.

Hob managed to push Raph off of him, allowing him to get back to his feet. Before Raph got back at him, he felt Mikey grab his arm.

"Here." Mikey said holding out his mask.

Raph looked at the piece of red cloth, then smiled. Without any hesitation, he snagged it, tying it around his eyes and knotting it.

"Welcome back, bro." Mikey told him.

"Never should have left." Raph replied.

With that, Raph spun his sai and leapt at Hob. Hob extended his claws to block the oncoming strikes. Leo, Donnie, and Mikey meanwhile were making their way towards the cages. Just then, Dogpound and Fishface stepped in their way.

"You're not going anywhere tartarugas." Fishface told them.

"Been wanting to do this since you showed up at our pad." Dogpound growled.

The two charged at the three turtles, causing them to scatter. Fishface went straight at Donnie unleashing seemingly endless amounts of kicks, which the purple turtle was able to deflect.

"Oh Fishface," Donnie spoke. "I hope you've been enjoying your new legs. Because I added a little feature in them that I know you'll like."

Fishface felt a lump of fear gather in his throat as Donnie punched a few buttons on his phone. All of a sudden, his legs started running around at breakneck speeds, carrying Fishface with them. The fish screamed as he was sent running straight out of the warehouse and into the night.

"Enjoy your run, Fishface!" Donnie called out after him.

Meanwhile, Mikey and Leo we're jumping around avoiding the numerous punches that Dogpound was dealing out. Mikey made his way behind Dogpound and extended his chain. He then wrapped it around Dogpound's oversized fist before he could bring it down again. Leo then took this opportunity to leap into the air and kick Dogpound in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Stay!" Leo shouted. "Good boy."

Back with Raph, he was still blocking Hobs claw strikes. Hob then got a scratch in at Raph's face. Enraged, Raph tackled Hob and threw him against a cage. As Hob tried to get up, he saw Raph standing over him with a sai pointed at his face.

"Hob, you're a formidable fighter, I'll give you that." Raph told him. "However, you made one fatal mistake. You messed with my family."

"So what are you waitin for?" Hob asked. "End it."

Raph simply responded by placing his sai back in his belt.

"Nah." Raph replied before turning to walk away.

Just then, he turned back to Hob.

"You once called this group a family." Raph reminded. "Well you're wrong. Family doesn't try to change you into something you're not. They stand by you no matter how bad things get, or how badly you screw up. I'd rather be like my brothers than you and your friends any day."

Hob gave a hiss, then turned and ran out of the warehouse, clamoring up a building and disappearing. Dogpound got up and ran out as well.

"Glad to have you back Raph." Leo replied.

"Good to be back." Raph responded. "Come on, let's get these guys out of here."

The turtles then got to work unlocking the cages and releasing the imprisoned mutants. Before they released Kirby though, Donnie slipped a tracker onto his ankle.

"This should make finding him easier, once I manage to whip up that Retromutagen I promised April."

"Sounds good." Leo agreed as the mutant bat flew off.

Before they headed out, they saw Snakeweed looming over them, much to their mild horror.

"Are we gonna have trouble?" Raph asked, his sai already in his hands.

"No..." Snakeweed replied. "I just… wanted to say… thank you… and sorry..."

"Sorry?" Mikey asked.

"I wasn't… right in the head… before…" Snakeweed answered.

"Quick question, how are you still alive?" Donnie asked. "We kinda… blew you up."

Snakeweed held out his hand, and a small dandelion began to grow from it.

"Weeds…. Are hard… to kill..."

"Fair enough." Donnie conceded. "If you want, we can direct you some much friendlier mutants. I'm sure they'd be willing to help you out."

"Agreed." Genghis Frog declared, coming up from behind Donnie. "The Professor would gladly let you stay on the island with us."

"Thank… you…" Snakeweed replied.

With that, Snakeweed, Pete, and the punk frogs withdrew from the warehouse, heading for home. Raph watched them leave, then clapped Leo on the shell.

"Come on guys." he told them. "Let's go home."

…

 _A few weeks ago_

 _Splinter stood in shock as several Foot Ninja stood in a hole leading into the lair. Splinter wasted no time rushing towards them. He took one out with a swing from his staff before tripping a second one up with his tail. He grabbed a third one and threw him at the couch, causing it to flip over. Unbeknownst to him, another ninja came up and kicked him in the back, causing him to drop his staff and collide with the wall near the entryway to Donnie's lab._

 _As Splinter tried repositioning himself, the ninja came up again and kicked him into the lab. Splinter rolled on the ground a bit before getting to his feet. As he did so, several more Foot Ninja came storming into the lab. One drew his sword and began swinging it at Splinter. Fortunately, Splinter was fast enough to avoid every strike. He finally struck the ninja in the hand, causing him to drop the sword. Before Splinter could make another strike, one ninja shot out a metal chain that wrapped around his hand. As Splinter struggled against the chain, three more ninja shot out chains, wrapping around his other hand, torso, and neck. As Splinter tried to free himself, another ninja wielding a sword stepped forward. He ran towards the rat Sensei and jumped into the air with his sword drawn back, ready to deal the final blow._


	24. The Noxious Avenger

_Hey everybody! Mikey here. Growing up in the sewers, my bros and I have seen our fair share of grossness. However, the latest mutant we've come across is really starting to soar on the grody meter. A garbage man turned… well… garbage man has it out for me and my bros, and even if we manage to beat him, I think all four of us are gonna smell like a dumpster for months to come._

...

Bebop and Rocksteady's van pulled up next to an old brownstone, parking in the alley in order to avoid detection. The two mutants climbed out, Rocksteady gripping a piece of paper in his hand.

"Yo, is this the place?" Bebop asked.

"Think so." Rocksteady replied. "That brain blob we cornered was very helpful. Maybe after we grab the goods, the boss will finally get off our tails."

"Man, you'd think we'd be the ones running the Foot." Bebop whined. "Instead Nakumo's stuck us with an ooze grocery list."

"I feel you, man." Rocksteady agreed. "But we ain't got much choice. There's only two of us and…. A ton of them."

"Come on," Bebop said. "Let's get this over with."

The two mutants tore the door of the brownstone off, making their way inside.

...

Several rooftops away, the turtles were dashing through the city, following the signal coming from Donnie's scanner.

"How much further Don?" Leo asked.

"Just three more blocks to the next canister." Donnie reported. "Hopefully we'll find it completely intact."

"Yeah, the last thing we need is more hostile mutants." Raph snarled.

"Especially since what happened with Old Hob." Mikey reminded. "When Raph went rogue and joined a crew of mutants that locked up other mutants and-"

"We were there!" Raph shouted. "Remember?"

"Yeah Mikey, no need to go all professor exposition on us." Donnie agreed.

"Sorry," Mikey apologized. "Just felt like bringing it up in case anybody forgot or missed out."

"Mikey, I swear if you don't shut up-!"

"Come on guys." Leo interrupted. "Focus. We have work to do."

The turtles landed on a corner rooftop, the scanner beeping like crazy.

"There it is." Donnie announced. "In that building."

"And it looks like we're not the only ones out ooze hunting." Raph pointed out. "Check it out."

"Looks like we got company" Leo observed noticing the van. "We should proceed with caution guys."

They all nodded, then jumped down to head inside.

...

Inside the lab, Bebop kicked down the door, much to the surprise of about three or four Kraang inside.

"It is the creatures known as mutants." one Kraang observed.

"Kraang must destroy the creatures known as mutants for Kraang." a second one suggested.

With that, the Kraang began opening fire at the mutants, though their thick hides shielded them from the bolts. The same could not be said for the Kraang exoskeletons and Rocksteady's horn. The rhino mutant charged at the Kraang, reducing their robot bodies to scrap metal.

"Oh yeah!" Bebop cheered. "Too easy!"

"Yeah!" Rocksteady agreed cheerfully. "Come on, let's grab the goo and go."

Bebop nodded and the two moved into the lab looking for the mutagen canister.

...

Down below in the alley, a garbage truck pulls up and an obese garbage man hops out to collect several bags from a dumpster.

"Garbage ain't a rewarding profession, but someone's gotta keep this city clean." he muttered to himself. "Still, it beats working in the sewers. Buncha freaky monsters down there."

As he was hauling some trash bags over to his truck, four fast moving figures darted across the sky towards the building. He caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye, glancing up at them curiously.

"What in the world?" He muttered.

...

Back inside, Bebop smashed open one of the cabinets and found the mutagen they were after.

"Yo Rocksteady, look what I found!"

"Way to go Bebop!" Rocksteady cheered. "Now come on let's-"

Before he could finish, Leo came crashing through the window, kicking him in the face as he entered. His brothers followed in after him, landing on either side of the blue turtle with their weapons drawn.

"Well, well, well." Mikey let out. "If it isn't Bacon and Bonehead."

"Hey!" Rocksteady yelled.

"Wait, which one of us is bonehead?" Bebop asked.

"Oh great Scott, you two are hopeless." Donnie lamented.

"Actually I'm finish." Rocksteady corrected.

"Really?" Raph asked.

"Yeah." Rocksteady confirmed. "Cause when I start something, I finish!"

With that, the mutant rhino charged at the turtles, causing them to scatter. Leo leapt at Rocksteady with his swords drawn back ready to strike, but Rocksteady just swatted him away. Raph came up and attempted to hit him with the blunt end of his sai, but Rocksteady just grabbed him by both hands and threw him against the wall.

Meanwhile, Donnie was continually striking Bebop across the face with his staff. Finally having enough, Bebop struck Donnie across the face knocking him away. As Mikey came running up, Bebop threw the canister at Mikey.

"Yikes!" Mikey yelled ducking under it.

The canister then flew out the window and descended towards the garbage man who has just tossed the last bag into the back of his truck. Unfortunately, said bag had split, leaving him to pick up the spilled trash by hand.

"God I hate this job..." he muttered.  
Seconds before he tossed the armful of trash into the back of his truck, the canister struck him on the back of the head, shattering on impact and knocking him into the large pile of bags in the back. He then felt his body beginning to fall apart and pull itself back together. His muscles seemed to be melting and his skin turning green. He let out an unholy scream, one that echoed through the alley.

Back up top, Bebop and Rocksteady were both thrown against a wall by the turtles as they were closing in.

"What do you punks want with mutagen anyway?" Leo asked.

"None of your business, turtle." Rocksteady threw back.

"Make it our business, horn head!" Raph threw back.

Enraged by that comment, Rocksteady got back up and charged at the turtles, knocking them back like bowling pins. Bebop saw this and he and Rocksteady took this opportunity to retreat, leaving the turtles hatching on the floor.

"Raph..." Mikey spoke up. "Never mock… thousand pound rhino man."

"Noted." Raph remarked.

"Thanks." Mikey replied.

"Come on guys, we have to find that canister before Bebop and Rocksteady do." Leo declared

The turtles then got up and made their way outside and down to the streets in search of the canister. As they landed on the ground in the alley, Mikey spotted the broken half of the canister on the ground in front of the garbage truck.

"Dudes…" he let out.

"Well we found it." Raph observed.

"But where's the rest of it?" Donnie questioned.

As if on cue, the garbage in the back of the truck began to shift. From underneath the black bags, a skeletal hand pushed through the junk, a greenish slime clinging to it. The turtles stepped back in shock.

"Whoa!" they all let out.

The hand then grasped onto the edge of the truck, pushing hard on it. This allowed an entire body to pull itself from the gunk. It was a skeleton that was practically covered in green goop and pustules, various bits of garbage and junk clinging to it. It was wearing an orange jumpsuit, like the ones worn by sanitation workers, with a faded nametag reading 'Garson'.

"Ungh..." the creature groaned, "What… what happened?"

It stumbled out of the truck, its footsteps squelching with every movement.

"What the shell is that?" Raph let out.

That's when the creature seemed to notice the four turtles standing before it. Its eyes went wide as it pointed at them.

"What the hell?! Little green turtle men!"

It then noticed its hand and locked its eyes on it.

"What…. What happened to me?! What did you do to me?!"

"What us?" Donnie asked. "No we didn't-"

The creature didn't seem to be listening as it stumbled backwards, making a bee-line towards the side view mirrors on the side of the truck. When it got a glimpse of its skeletal features and green goopy skin, it let out a howl of despair.

"You… You turned me into a freak!" It shrieked. "You turned me into one of those mutie monsters!"

"No we didn't." Leo insisted. "It was-"

"Lies!" The monster screamed, stomping towards the turtles.

"Look we want to help you." Donnie tried to reassure. "We're working on a cure for mutations like yours. It will just take time."  
The creature was beyond reason. It swiped at the turtles, its arm seemingly stretching as it did so. The arm knocked the turtles into a nearby wall. The turtles rubbed their heads as they started getting back to their feet. Infuriated, Raph got up and charged at the creature. As he tried punching him however, his fist just went inside him, much to his disgust.

"Ew." he let out.

The creature then quickly punched Raph in the face repeatedly. One final punched knocked Raph out of him, hitting a wall near the turtles. Feeling frustrated by all this, Donnie ran towards him, swinging his staff at him. The creature then melted into a pile of trash and Donnie inadvertently swung his staff into a recovering Raph, hitting him in the face.

"Oh, sorry Raph." he apologized. "Sorry."

As he was apologizing, the creature reformed itself into the leering garbage man he was before. He started breathing heavily in frustration with the turtles. Donnie heard this and as he turned around to investigate, the creature spewed some kind of strange bile all over him and the other turtles.

"Ewww." Mikey let out, disgusted. "He slimed me."

"Ew. Ew. Ew." Leo repeated, completely grossed out.

"Hey I think I heard something down here!" a voice called out from down the alley.

The four turtles turned to see a few shadows making their way towards the entrance to the alley.

"Uh oh." Leo let out. "Mikey! Smoke bomb!"

Mikey nodded and, sluggishly, pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it on the ground. They made their getaway just as a group of people came into the alley.  
"What on earth?!" One of the people exclaimed, looking at the garbage creature.

The garbage man had his back to the wall, looking around desperately for an escape. He then took a deep breath, then collapsed into a pile of garbage. The pile than slinked under some nearby fence, making his getaway.

...

Back at the apartment, the turtles were all sitting in the tub as the shower rained down upon them. It was a tight squeeze, but none of them could stand the stench any longer than they had to. As they all sat there, Raph let out a growl of frustration.

"That was just embarrassing!" he fumed. "Being beaten up by a pile of puke!"

"Technically it was an amalgamation of the various refuse usually found in your common New York City dumpster mutated to the point where the toxicity levels were near critical." Donnie corrected.

"When I want the science mumbo-jumbo, I'll ask for it!" Raph told him, smacking him upside the head.

"Take it easy Raph." Leo intervened. "No one's happy about this."

Mikey squirted about half a bottle of soap onto his head, scrubbing himself down as best he could.

"I'm just glad nobody saw us." he commented as he scrubbed. "Because that was by far our most embarrassing defeat ever!"

"That and the whole 'live in the shadows' deal we have going." Leo reminded him.

"Well yeah that too." Mikey agreed. "I just hope that garbage dude got away too,"

"Why?" Raph asked. "He's the creep that slimed us."

"He's also the creep we inadvertently created." Donnie reminded him.

"I'm sure he's not a bad guy." Mikey commented, passing the soap to Donnie. "I mean, we all know getting mutated makes your brain go kablooie."

"Mikey's right." Leo agreed. "Wherever he is, he must be going through a hard time."

...

Garson Grunge reformed as best he could in a different back alley, far from where he'd left his truck. He took a few deep breaths to try and steady himself, then he caught sight of himself in a broken window.

"Look at me." he said to himself. "Reduced to some kind of freakish… mutant monster. All because of those damn turtles."  
He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do next. As he stood, he heard a scream from near the entrance of the alley.

"Get away from me!" a woman shrieked. "Leave me alone!"

He peered his head out of the alley to see a woman being mugged by some Purple Dragons. She was clinging to her purse for dear life, but two thugs seemed to be holding her while the third attempted to pry the purse from her fingers.

"I can't just stand here and do nothing." Grunge thought aloud. "But if I let people see me…"

The third thug finally managed to pull the purse free of the woman's grip, then he slapped her across the face. The sound set Grunge off.

"That's it!" he exclaimed, running out.

He stretched out his arm towards one of the dragons, taking him out.

"What the hell?" one of the dragons let out.

"This cities getting overrun with freaks!" the second one replied.

"Not a freak, just a Garbage man doing what he does best." Grunge replied, grabbing the two thugs. "Keeping the streets clean of filth like you!"

With the manhole cover serving as part of his left foot, he stepped on one of the dragon's feet, causing him to cry out in pain. He then picked up the dragon and threw him into a dumpster. He then turned to the final Purple Dragon letting out a growl of anger. The dragon then bolted out of the alley in fear, leaving just the woman and Grunge.

"You alright?" he asked.

The woman nodded, recovering her purse and giving Grunge a smile.

"I am now… Thank you." she told him.

"You don't think I'm… gross or scary?" he asked.

"I'll admit you're a bit… strange, but you just saved my life." she replied. "I don't know what they would have done to me if you hadn't come along. Thank you."

"My pleasure." he responded.

At that moment, the Channel Six news van came driving by. Vernon casually looked down that alley, and saw the creature.

"What on earth?!" he exclaimed. "April, stop the van!"

April's foot slammed on the brakes as she looked to Vern.

"What is it?" she asked, a bit panicked. "Don't tell me you left the equipment back at the station."

"No, that!" he answered, pointing down the alley.

April turned to see Grunge talking with the woman. The panic gave way to dread, which then gave way to annoyance. She placed her head against the steering wheel, groaning audibly.

"Can I go one night without deal with this-?"

"Everything alright April?" Vernon asked.

She sighed and sat up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she replied, reluctantly getting out of the van. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

Vernon just shrugged and got out of the van. He grabbed his camera and set up to get ready for the shoot.

"Alright, in 3. 2. 1."

"Excuse me!" April called, approached Grunge and the woman. "Excuse me! April O'Neil, Channel 6 news. Is this thing hurting you?"

The woman turned to April, first in surprise, then in anger.

"He isn't a thing!" she snapped. "He's a hero! He just saved me from some of those horrible Purple Dragons!"

"Really?" April asked, surprised.

"It's true." The woman insisted. "I don't care what he looks like. He's a hero in my eyes."

"And does this hero have a name?"

"Uh… Garson Grunge." he replied. "Or at least… that's what it was."

"What is was?" April repeated, faking confusion. "So, you weren't always like this?"

"I was a human once," he continued. "Until I got turned to this… muck of a man."

"How did you become this… Muckman?" April asked.

"I got turned into this by some… weird turtle creatures." he answered.

April felt her heart skip a beat. Her grip on the mic tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"Did you say turtle creatures?"

"Yeah. Freaky turtle mutants in masks."

The woman shivered at the thought.

"They sound horrible." she said. "If they're turning innocent people into monsters, then someone needs to do something about them."

...

Back at the apartment, the turtles were watching this report full of frustration and fear.

"Please April." Donnie pleaded. "Don't rat us out. Please don't rat us out."

On the screen, April's conflicted expression was evident on her face. She took a deep breath, then spoke up.

 _"Well, I don't know about the rest of you watching this from home, but if those turtle creatures want to live to see tomorrow, they'd be wise to stay out of sight."_

April emphasized the last bit, practically glaring at the camera. Donnie and Leo let out a sigh of relief up on hearing that.

"At least she didn't sell us out." Donnie said.

"Still it doesn't sound like her opinion of us has improved any." Leo replied.

"How freakin irritating is this?!" Raph asked. "We save the city countless times, even the world once, and we get jack squat. This… 'Muckman' stops one mugging, and he's public hero number one?! Come on. Even his name sucks. I bet even Mikey could come up with something better."

"Yeah," Mikey confirmed. "I would have gone with… the Noxious Avenger!"

The others just looked at him surprised.

"Note to self, play the lottery next week." Raph said before becoming irritated again. "We gotta do something about this. I won't let some walking garbage dump go around besmirching our good name!"

"Cool it Raph." Leo told him. "Need I remind you we almost really got put on the news tonight?"

"Hey, you can't put that escape on us." Raph retorted. "We got slimed."

"We got sloppy." Leo corrected.

"But this is a matter of honor!" Raph shouted back. "You can't seriously be happy with this creep draggin our name through the muck, can you?"

Leo just stood there irritated. He knew it was probably for the best that they lay low, but also knew Raph was right. With the name of ninja turtles being feared and reviled, everyone would be on the lookout for them and maybe even try to hunt them down. If they wanted to continue living in the shadows, they had to clear their names.

"Ugh, alright." Leo conceded. "I hate it when you use honor against me."

Raph just shrugged and smiled in response.

"If we're going to fight this Muckman," Mikey spoke up. "We'll need to be prepared."

He then took out an umbrella and opened it up. Donnie just face-palmed in response.

"When we find Master Splinter, remind to ask me if he dropped him when we were little." Donnie said.

Mikey just closed his umbrella and swatted Donnie with it.

...

Out in the city, Bebop and Rocksteady were driving around in their van rocking out to some music.

"War! Ha! Ho!" they sang along. "What is it good for?"

"Absolutely nothin." Rocksteady continued.

"Sing it again y'all!" Bebop finished. "Man I love this song."

"Me too."

As they were driving, they passed an electronic store with several TV's in the window. They all showed April's report on Muckman. Bebop noticed it and squinted.

"Yo Rocksteady!" he shouted. "Stop the van!"

Rocksteady stopped the van and Bebop took a closer look at the report.

"Hey check out the freak." Rocksteady commented. "And I thought those turtles were ugly."

"Heh, and these pansies are calling him a hero." Bebop noted. "Looks more like a sap to me."

The two mutants shared a good laugh with that. Suddenly, Rocksteady was struck with an idea.

"Hey," he said. "Maybe he could be our sap."

"Hmm our own little patsy." Bebop mused. "Why not? He could be our key to getting out of the Foot Clan."

"Maybe we can even start our own Foot Clan." Rocksteady suggested, starting the van again.

"Heck man, why stop at a Foot Clan?" Bebop questioned. "Why not a Leg clan?"

"Or a Pelvis clan."

"Or a Hand clan."

"Uh, Rock? I think that's already taken." Bebop shot down.

"Whatever." Rocksteady dismissed. "Let's just find the guy."

...

In some back alley, Muckman leaned against a dumpster, a newspaper in his hand. It had his picture on the front page with the words "Taking out the Trash! Muckman Cleans the Streets!" in bold letters. Muckman just threw the paper away in frustration.

"First I'm a freak, now I'm a joke." he said to himself. "Is this what I've been reduced to?"

A hoofed foot stomped down on the paper, drawing Muckman's attention. He looked up to see a mutant Warthog and Rhino looking down at him.

"Wh-what are you supposed to be?" Muckman asked.

"Just some normal, average, everyday mutants." Bebop answered. "Just like you."

"W-Were you turned into this by turtles too?" he asked.

The two mutants looked at each other, not expecting the turtles to be involved in this, but they decided to roll with it.

"Uh- yeah. We was." Rocksteady replied. "It's because of them that we're like this."

"But, we've got some… friends… who know how to fix us." Bebop continued.

"Really?" Muckman perked up.

"Yeah." Bebop confirmed. "And we'd be more than happy to introduce you to them."

"But before we can introduce you, we need to get some stuff." Rocksteady interjected. "The stuff our friends need to fix us."

"What kind of stuff?" he asked.

"We'll explain on the way." Rocksteady told him.

The three mutants then piled into the van and began driving off.

...

The turtles were sprinting across the rooftops in search of Muckman. Their search efforts however, seemed to come up empty.

"Any sign of him?" Leo asked.

"Nothin." Raph called back.

"You'd think a human dumpster would be easy to spot." Mikey commented.

As they ran along, Mikey looked down to see a white van with a technicolored 'Bebop and Rocksteady' logo on the side. Inside Mikey could make out the two titular mutants driving along, and what he thought was the face of a certain garbage man.

"Guys!" he called out. "I think I found Muckman!"

"Where?" Leo asked.

"I saw him in that van with Bebop and Rocksteady." he told them, pointing at the van.

"You mean the van that says 'Bebop and Rocksteady'?" Raph asked.

"No." Mikey replied, then paused for a second. "Well, yes. But I also saw Bebop and Rocksteady in the van that said Bebop and Rocksteady! With Muckman!"

"Muckman or no, Bebop and Rocksteady are still a concern." Leo decided. "Let's see what their up to, then we'll continue the search for Muckman."

The turtles leapt off the rooftop, making their way down towards the van

...

The van pulled out in front of an abandoned building. Bebop, Rocksteady, and Muckman all piled out and stood in front of it.

"So this place has the stuff to make me normal again?" Muckman asked.

"Oh yeah." Bebop said, slapping Muckman on his slimy shoulder. "It's in there. All we need to do it grab it, then we'll all be better than ever!"

"Well then…" Muckman started to say.

"Breaking into a lab?" a voice called out. "Not very heroic Mucky."

The three turned around to see the turtles perched on some clothes lines. They then jumped down to the ground in front of them.

"You four!" Muckman shouted. "I've had just about enough of you freaks!"

"Listen!" Leo called out. "We're sorry about what happened to you, we really are."

"Well it's a little too late for apologies! I'm a freak now thanks to you, but these guys are gonna help fix me, so I ain't gonna let you ruin that for me!"

The turtles were taken aback by that realization.

"Seriously?" Raph asked. "You're trusting these bozos with your humanity? You must have been hit pretty hard when you mutated."

Muckman let out a yell of fury and stretched out one of his fists at the turtles, causing them to scatter. It snapped back into place as he let out a growl.

"Come on. Let's get the goods." He said to Bebop and Rocksteady "The sooner I'm back to being normal, the better."

As they started walking away, a throwing star imbedded itself in Muckman's neck. As he pulled it out and turned around, he saw Leo standing on a fire escape.

"Listen Muckman," Leo called out. "If you're finding hard to look at yourself in the mirror now, imagine how hard it will be when you're a criminal!"

Muckman looked up at Leo, then glanced down at the ground as conflicting thoughts flitted through his head. Leo saw this and ran with it.

"Can you live with that?" he asked.

"I…" Muckman tried to respond. "Well at least I'll be normal again!"

"Why should that matter?" Mikey asked. "I mean, that lady didn't seem to care what you looked like. She saw the man underneath all the garbage and dumpster smell."

"He's right." Leo concurred. "As long as you're doing the right thing, who cares what you look like on the outside."

Muckman was rendered speechless. He looked down at his hands, then over at Bebop and Rocksteady

"Man, are you really buying this?" Rocksteady asked.

"Yeah," Bebop concurred. "Seeing you get all sappy is making me wanna puke up toxic sludge."

Muckman's hands clenched into fists, then he turned to the two with a snarl.

"You know, these turtle guys are right." he declared. "So what if I'm a garbage man? I'm still good ole Garson Grunge underneath."

"Well if that's the way you want it." Bebop said.

Just then, he and Rocksteady pulled out machine guns and unloaded on Muckman, mowing him down to nothing. Mikey screamed out in panic as he and his brothers took cover behind a dumpster. Once the gunfire died down, Muckman was still standing. He cracked open an eye, then looked down at himself.

"Heh. Guess garbage is bullet proof."

"Oh that's just cheating." Rocksteady griped.

"This coming from the rhino that brought a gun to a ninja fight!" Mikey yelled about to pull out his nunchaku.

"Just chill turtles." Muckman said before Mikey could fully come out. "I've got this."

He planted his feet, closed his eyes, and then thrusted out his hands. All around the alley, every single piece of garbage began to shake. Everything from the smallest cigarette butt to the largest bag of trash began to lift off the ground, swirling into a huge cyclone of refuse.

"He can telekinetically manipulate garbage?" Donnie asked.

"Dude!" Mikey called out. "You're moving trash with your mind!"

The mutant rhino and warthog were petrified by this recent development to say the least.

"You know Bebes, I'm starting to think this was a bad idea." Rocksteady admitted.

"Yeah." Bebop agreed.

Muckman then let out a shout, then threw all of the trash right at the two mutants. It landed with a culmination of clatters and splatters, practically coating the entire building with various pieces of refuse. Muckman then heaved a bit, falling to his knees as the turtles slowly came out from their hiding places.

"Okay, even I gotta admit that was cool." Raph commented.

While the turtles were tending to their new friend, Bebop and Rocksteady were pulling themselves out of the pile of garbage thrusted upon them.

"Man the heck with this." Bebop declared. "I'd rather have the boss yelling at us then have to deal with this."

"Boss?" Leo asked looking up.

With that, Bebop and Rocksteady bolted towards their van and began driving off, with Leo running after them.

"Wait!" Leo yelled. "The Shredder is dead! Who are you working for?!"

The van disappeared down the street, leaving Leo in the dust. He eventually stopped running, sighing and turning back to the alley. By this point, Muckman was back on his feet and giving the turtles a grateful smile.

"Ya know, I was wrong about you guys." he admitted. "You four are alright. Sorry about all that stuff I said about ya."

"It's alright Muckman." Mikey told him. "Trust me, we're no strangers to being universally hated by everybody."

"Hey," Leo said walking back over to them. "If you ever want to feel normal, check out the old garbage dump island on the east river. You'll find a few friends of ours."

"You mean that old garbage depot?" Muckman replied.

"That's the one." Donnie confirmed.

"I'll give it a shot." Muckman promised.

At that moment, there came the sound of people coming their direction. The five mutants poked their heads around the corner of the alley and saw a fairly large group of people making their way towards the alley.

"Well that's just great." Raph let out.

"You four go on and book." Muckman told then, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "I'll handle these guys."

The turtles exchanged glances, then began to make their way up the nearest manhole cover. Before they all jumped down, Donnie gave Muckman one final look.

"You sure you're good?" he asked.

"Positive." Muckman promised.

Donnie smirked, then disappeared into the sewers.

...

The turtles walked through the tunnels, all four of them genuinely happy with how this battle had ended. Mikey was practically beaming as he threw his arm around Raph's neck.

"See bro? I told you things would get better soon."

"Yeah I guess." Raph admitted.

"Hold it guys." Leo told them, stopping in his tracks.

Everyone froze, their hands instinctively going to their weapons. Leo leaned against the wall of the sewer, then peered out around a corner. Almost immediately, he pulled his head back as a group of foot ninja ran past. They were armed with swords and flashlights, and they seemed to be searching for something. All four turtles had a good idea what that something was.

"Yeesh." Donnie let out. "Those guys don't let up."

"Guess it's a good thing we're living in an apartment now, because the sewers are bad news." Mikey added.

Raph growled at this before punching a wall in frustration.

"Way to be stealthy Raph." Leo remarked.

"I can't believe those punks are tearing apart our sewers!" he ranted. "Bad enough they trash our home and do shell knows what to Sensei, but now our own turf has been taken from us!"

"It's just how things are right now." Leo told him. "We'll get the sewers back someday. For now, let's just get back to the apartment."

Raph took one last look down the tunnel, then reluctantly followed his brothers out of the tunnels.

...

Back at the apartment, the four turtles sat in front of the TV, watching the latest news report about Muckman. The garbage man was practically grinning for the camera, spinning a story about what had happened earlier.

 _"So ya see, these two punks were trying to bust into the lab, but I made sure that they were taken out like the trash they were."_

 _"And who were these punks?"_ April asked, holding her mic out. _"Perhaps those turtles you mentioned earlier?"_

 _"Nah."_ Muckman replied. _"Besides, those turtle guys weren't even turtles! Just a bunch of kids in Halloween costumes."_

The turtles let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that news.

"Glad that's over with." Mikey said.

"You're telling me." Donnie agreed.

"Don't celebrate just yet." Leo told them. "While we may have gotten Muckman on our side, who knows how many more mutants are out there."

"Not to mention the Foot goons and their turtle hunt." Raph added.

"Yeah that's been bugging me since Bebop mentioned 'the boss'." Leo agreed. "With Shredder gone, what are the Foot up to?"

"I have no idea." Donnie admitted. "But I have a feeling we won't have to wait long to find out."

 _..._

 _The ninja jumped into the air with his sword drawn back towards the restrained Splinter, ready to deliver the final blow. Suddenly, some fast moving object collided with the ninja, knocking him onto a table and knocking over various pieces of equipment. Splinter looked to see that the object was the fist of Metalhead as it returned to its user._

 _"Many thanks my small metallic friend." Splinter said as he grabbed hold of one of the chains holding him captive._

 _He pulled hard on the chain, effectively pulling the Foot Ninja towards him. As he flew past, he grabbed the ninja's sword and used it to cut the remaining chains, finally freeing himself. Splinter then rushed toward the two remaining Foot ninja and bashed them with the hilt of his sword, taking them out. Splinter then ran out of the lab towards the living room, Metalhead following along. He saw several Foot ninjas coming out of the bedrooms, presumably looking for the turtles, staring him down. Splinter glared at the unwanted intruders._

 _"Metalhead," Splinter said turning to the tiny robot. "I will try and lead the Foot away. Can you defend our home until the turtles arrive?"_

 _Metalhead nodded in response. Splinter smiled at this before heading towards the door._

 _"Come armies of the Foot!" Splinter challenged. "I am the one you want! Fight me!"_

 _The Foot soldiers charged towards Splinter with their weapons at the ready. Splinter leapt out into the sewers and bashed away one of the Foot ninjas with his stolen sword. Another one came out and locked blades with Splinter. The two kept clashing back and forth as they made their way deeper into the sewer. Finally, Splinter used his tail to trip up the ninja. As he fell to the ground, several more came running up after him. Splinter readied his weapon and charged towards his adversaries._


	25. Raphael meets his match

_Raphael here. I'd thought I'd met my temperamental equal when I ran into Casey Jones. However, the latest mutant we've encountered has a short fuse just like mine, and she's not afraid to get in your face and tell you what she thinks of you. More than that, she can kick butt pretty well for someone with no ninja training._  
 _I think I'm in love._

...

Lisa Monogamy clambered up the fire escape of her apartment complex, doing her best to make as little noise as possible. As she reached the fourth floor, she ceased her climbing, approaching an open window with red curtains blowing in the wind. With practiced precision, she slid through the window, landing on the floor of her bedroom. The second her feet touched the floor, the light in her room turned on, revealing Lisa's mother standing by the door.

"Elizabeth Anne-Marie Monogamy." she declared, crossing her arms in an angry fashion.

Lisa froze, slowly turning to give her mom an awkward and nervous smile.

"Hey Mom…" she greeted, giving a sheepish wave, "How long have you been there?"

"Since I came to check on you after you told me you weren't feeling well." her mom replied.

She gestured to a now cold bowl of noodle soup sitting by Lisa's bed. From the blankets pulled off the bed and the pile of pillows arranged on the mattress, it was clear that Ms. Monogamy had not been fooled by Lisa's attempts to hide her sneaking out.

"Lisa, where were you?" she demanded.

Lisa went to open her mouth, but her mother held up a hand.

"You know what, I don't want to know." she decided. "Wherever you were, you weren't in your room where you said you were going to be."

"But Mom I-"

"None of your excuses Lisa. This is the last straw. You are grounded until I can trust you to be where you say you are going to be."

Lisa's eyes went wide and her fists clenched.

"I can't believe this!" she screamed. "I'm 15 Mom! I'm not some little kid anymore."

"Lisa Monogamy, you better watch your tone with-"

"No Mom!" Lisa interrupted. "I'm done holding my tongue. You never let me do anything! You've been keeping me locked up like your personal Cinderella ever since Dad died!

You can't control me forever!"

"As long as you live under my roof, you live under my rules!"

"Well maybe I don't want to live under your roof anymore!" Lisa screamed. "I hate you!"

Lisa's mom flinched and Lisa stood there. Tears fell off her mom's face as she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her without another word. Lisa stood there for a minute, then grabbed one of the pillows off the bed and screamed into it. After she was all screamed out, she flopped onto her bed, looking over at a small, plastic lizard cage by her bed. Inside the cage, a Slimy Salamander was nestled on a plastic branch, blinking at Lisa.

"She just doesn't understand me." she said to the lizard, reaching into the cage and pulling it out. "She's never understood. She just wants me to fall in line like some little servant."

She gritted her teeth and stood up.

"Well I won't."

She put the lizard back in its cage, then grabbed her backpack. Stuffing some random bits of clothing, as well as a plastic piggy bank inside, she zipped it shut and slung it over her shoulder.

"Come on DaVinci." she told the salamander as she grabbed its cage. "We're leaving this dump."

She climbed back out the window, closing it behind her. As she slid down the fire escape to the ground, there was the sound of something falling above her. She blinked in confusion, then looked up.

"What the-"

A canister then connected with her head, shattering on impact and coating her in neon green ooze. Lisa let out an ear piercing scream that echoed through the night.

...

Several Weeks Later

The turtles landed in an alleyway, tracking yet another canister of mutagen.

"Eh don't get so bent out of shape about April, Donnie." Mikey reassured. "Just give her time. She'll come around."

"Mikey, it's been weeks since Mr. O'Neil got turned into a mutant, and the most she's said to us since then was over a news report." Donnie argued.

"I'm just trying to be optimistic." Mikey replied.

"Guys, focus." Leo insisted. "Donnie, do you have a lead on that canister you picked up?"

"Yeah." Donnie confirmed holding up the scanner. "Should be close."

Mikey looked inside a nearby dumpster for the canister, practically diving into the container. While he didn't see any mutagen, something inside did manage to catch his eye.

"No sign of any mutagen." he reported. "But check this out."

He reached inside and pulled out an iguana puppet with a top hat and a monocle.

"An iguana wearing a top hat! Awesome why would you throw this away? 'Ello govnah. How do you like my monocle?"

The other three turtles looked at the thing in disgust, Raph in particular.

"Will you put that back?" he demanded. "That thing looks worse than Muckman."

"Besides, that thing might be our cousin or something." Leo added. "And it's stuffed with sawdust."

Aw man!" Mikey yelled, throwing the puppet back in the dumpster. "Sick!"

"Come on guys," Leo said. "Let's get back to the search. We need to find those canisters before someone else gets turned into a freakish mutant."

While scouring through the piles of trash, Raph eyed something interesting.

"Hey guys," he called out. "Check this out."

The other turtles came over to see what Raph had found. He pulled up what looked like a backpack. It was an old red one with a few worn patches for various bands and rock groups. It was slightly unzipped, and the contents were revealed to be what looked like an entire stash of candy bars and pieces of fruit. There was also a plastic cage inside the backpack, containing a small, Slimy Salamander which blinked at the turtles.

"Well…" Donnie spoke up. "This is different."

The salamander stuck its tongue out, the end splatting against the plastic of the cage. Mikey giggled.

"Aww, I think it likes us."

As Mikey said this, a figure crawled along the walls of the alley, eying the turtles angrily.

"Well it probably be the only thing that likes us right now." Raph remarked. "Everyone else we know either just hates our guts or wants us dead."

"What about Muckman?" Mikey asked.

"Or Casey." Leo added.

"You know what I mean." Raph muttered.

All of a sudden, something long and pink came out of nowhere, latching onto the straps of the backpack. With a surprising amount of force, the backpack was yanked out of Raph's grip, disappearing into the shadows of the alley.

"Didn't your mom ever teach you not to touch other people's stuff?" a girl's voice called out from the darkness.

"Ha! Jokes on you! We don't have a mom!" Mikey called back. "Man that sounded real pathetic."

"Wow… you're an idiot aren't you?" the girl's voice asked.

"Hey!" Raph called back. "No one insults Mikey but me!"

There was the sound of someone landing on the ground, then that same pink thing came out, striking Mikey in the neck. He choked a bit, tensing up as he fell to the ground, completely frozen.

"Mikey!" the others cried out.

"Come out and show yourself!" Raph challenged.

"Make me, you oversized bowl of turtle soup!" the girl taunted.

The pink thing came out again, aimed right at Raph's face. Reacting quick, Raph grabbed the thing and gave it a hard pull. There was a garbled cry of surprise, then a figure stumbled out of the shadows and onto the ground.

It looked like a girl thanks to its figure, with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She had an old hoodie on, the sleeves ripped off to reveal thick, salamander like arms. Her jeans were also ripped, revealing similarly built legs and a long tail. She gave Raph a hard glare, revealing a salamander-like face. This also revealed that the long pink thing Raph was holding was her tongue.

"Ummm…" Raph said, surprised by this revelation. "Sorry."

He let go of her tongue, allowing it to snap back into her mouth. She spat a few times, letting out a groan of disgust.

"Okay, when was the last time you washed your hands?" she questioned.

"It's been a hectic last few days." He replied. "What's your story?"

She snorted and slung the backpack over her shoulder.

"Why should I tell you?" she snapped. "You stole my backpack and tried to make off with DaVinci."

"You're upset over losing an art book?" Donnie asked.

"DaVinci's my pet Plethodon glutinosus, smart guy." she retorted.

"Ha! jokes on you!" Mikey yelled, still on the ground. "He is the smart one."

"Just rest Mikey." Leo insisted, shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Wow, he really is an idiot." the girl commented. "I mean seriously, I've babysat kindergarteners smarter than him."

"Lookin like that? Raph asked. "Must be a select market."

"Hey, for your information I'm not supposed to look like this, Dumbo. I'm a normal girl. Nor-Mal. Ever heard of it, you reptile-house reject?"

"As a matter of fact, we have." Leo responded. "It's just been in short supply as of late."

"You're telling me." the girl replied. "One minute I'm going about my business, the next this weird stuff covers me from head to toe, burning me like someone dumped five alarm chili all over me."

This caused the turtles to go wide eyed.

"Must have been more fallout from the mutagen rain." Donnie whispered to Leo.

"Just what we need." Leo lamented. "More mutants out for our heads."

"Hey! Turtle freaks!" The girl shouted. "I'm literally standing right here! Jeez, were you guys raised in a barn?"

"Sewer if you must know." Raph replied.

"Well that certainly explains your lack of hygiene." she commented, waving her hand in front of her face.

"You know what sweetheart," Raph started to yell. "These past few weeks have been working overtime on my nerves, and they're at the breaking point! Your little hissy fit isn't helping anything!"

"Oh boo-hoo. Cry me a river." She retorted, making fake crying motions. "Go tell your sob story to someone who actually cares. Maybe your mommy will kiss it and make it better. Oh, that's right. You don't have a mom. I bet you don't even have a dad either you piece of-"

"That's it!" Raph yelled.

Raph then leapt up to the girl, tackling her to the ground. He began punching her, the girl bringing up her arms to protect her face.

"I have had it with mutants trying to kill us every week!" he yelled.

"Well maybe you deserve it for being such a butthole!" the girl countered, kicking Raph in the stomach.

Raph rolled on the ground until he got back to his feet. By then, the girl had gotten back on hers and was standing in a basic karate defensive stance.

"I'm warning you now, I'm a red belt in karate." she taunted.

"Ooh, I'm so scared." Raph replied sarcastically.

She then came at him, her foot coming up in between his legs hard. The other three turtles winced as Raph went cross eyed.

"You dirty little…" Raph said before falling to the ground.

"Scared now?" she asked, looking down at Raph with a cocky grin.

Mikey turned to Donnie, the paralysis finally worn off as he whispered into the purple turtle's ear.

"Man, this girl is like a female Raph."

"Look," Leo spoke up. "Contrary to what you might think, we don't want to fight you."

"Well, your friend currently moaning on the asphalt seems to disagree with you."

"Well Raph is a bit… headstrong I'll admit." Leo conceded. "But we've made enough enemies already, and it would be nice to have an ally."

"Especially someone with your knowledge of reptiles." Donnie agreed. "There aren't that many people who know the scientific name of the American Slimy Salamander."

The girl blinked in surprise, her hostile stance dropping somewhat.

"Well..." she began, trying to sound modest, "I've wanted to be a Herpetologist most of my life."

"Gesundheit." Mikey spoke up.

"Mikey, a Herpetologist is a scientist that studies reptiles and amphibians." Donnie explained.

"Oh." Mikey realized. "Well that's pretty cool."

"Thanks." she told him, giving a genuine smile. "I'm Lisa by the way. Lisa Monogamy."

"Nice to meet you Lisa." Leo greeted. "I'm Leonardo. These are my brothers, Donatello and Michelangelo. The one writhing in pain on the floor is Raphael."

Lisa's eyes lit up.

"Like the Renaissance artists!" she cheered. "That's my favorite period of art! It's why I named my salamander DaVinci"

"Our… 'Father' was a big fan of renaissance art." Leo explained.

Lisa heard the word 'was' and gave a small wince.

"Was?" she repeated, "Is he-?"

"Not as far as we know." Leo interrupted. "He's just missing at the moment."

"Yeah it's been a rotten past couple of weeks" Mikey added. "Losing our sensei, losing our home, accidentally causing the mutagen rain that turned most of the city into mutants-"

"Wait, what?!" Lisa exclaimed, cutting Mikey off.

"... oops." Mikey let out.

"You're the reason that weird stuff fell on me?" Lisa demanded, stalking towards the turtles angrily. "You're the reason I got turned into this- this- this thing?!"

"Wait." Leo said. "Let me explain-"

Not even listening, Lisa punched Leo across the face with enough strength to send him falling flat onto his shell. She then jumped up onto the wall behind him, climbing it as if it was nothing before disappearing into the shadows.

"Great, just great." Raph fumed as he slowly got up off the ground. "The old turtle luck working true to form."

"She couldn't have gotten far." Leo told them. "Spread out and find her."

The turtles nodded and dispersed to find Lisa.

...

Leo ran across the rooftops looking for the girl. Unfortunately, his efforts came up empty, much to his irritation.

...

Thinking she had adopted her mutated forms diet, Donnie scoured dumpsters and trash cans, thinking she would be dining on flies and insects hovering over the garbage. Sadly, the flies were all he found.

...

Mikey, meanwhile was checking alleys and any other places he could think of where mutants could hide. Which mostly consisted of back alleys behind pizza places. He may or may not have been able to sneak away a few slices.

...

Lisa sat on top of an abandoned tenement building, sitting there with DaVinci in her lap. She looked at the lizard and snarled a bit.

"I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. "I finally find someone who actually understand me, and they turn out to be the reason I'm like this!"

DaVinci stuck his tongue out, slapping it against the plastic cage. Lisa just sighed, leaning her head back.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me DaVinci." she declared. "Just like always."

Her stomach then growled as she reached into her backpack for one of her snacks. Unfortunately, thanks to the battle and her hasty escape, most of her candy bars were either crushed or had spilled out. The fruit had also been turned to mush. She growled, then tossed her backpack off the rooftop, watching it splatter onto the ground beneath her.

"Just great..." she growled.

"Alone and hungry." Raph observed. "Not the best combination."

Lisa turned around to see Raph standing on the rooftop with his arms crossed. Lisa growled at him, then turned away.

"Go away." she snapped.

"Look," Raph spoke up. "I think it's safe to say one or two of us overreacted back there. From where I stand we've both been through a shell of a lot in the past few weeks."

Lisa sighed, then scooted over a bit. Raph took the gesture for what it was and sat down beside her.

"Believe it or not, I've been in your shoes." He told her.

"Oh really?" she asked, more out of curiosity rather than malice.

"Yeah, frustrated with the world, thinkin' that everyone was out to get me and that there wasn't anyone I could rely on."

"What about the other three?" she asked.

"I ran out on them." he continued. "I thought they were holding me back."

"Like me and my mom." Lisa compared. "I left home because she kept trying to control every aspect of my life."

"Was she?" he asked. "Or is she just trying to look out for you?"

Lisa groaned in annoyance.

"You don't get it Raphael." she told him. "Ever since my dad died, I've never been able to do anything. I can't stay out past dark. I can't go to the movies alone. I can't even go sit out on the roof at night. I know she was trying to keep me safe, but she was becoming unbearable!"

"Honestly it sounds a little familiar." Raph replied. "My dad wouldn't let me and my brothers leave the sewers for fifteen years."

Lisa blinked in surprise.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Well, considering you're out here now, something tells me you guys snuck out."

"No actually." Raph told her. "We just asked one day and, while it took some convincing, he finally said yes."

"Your dad sounds awesome." Lisa commented, turning and looking up at the stars. "I wish my mom was that cool."

Before their conversation could continue, Lisa's stomach made a loud noise. Her face turned red as she covered her stomach.

"We better get that taken care of." Raph decided.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Lisa asked. "You smashed all my food, and it's not like we can order a Meat Lovers Deluxe from Antonio's."

Raph smirked in response.

"Just watch and be amazed." Raph said dialing his shell cell.

...

The pizza delivery truck pulled up in front of the tenement building Raph and Lisa were sitting on. The delivery boy got out, the pizza pie in his hand.

"Okay, he's here. Now what?" Lisa asked.

"Now, you do your tongue thing and grab our pizza." he told her.

Lisa shrugged, then shot her tongue out, catching the pizza box and yanking it out of the delivery guy's hand. Raph then fished a few dollars off his belt, tying them to a kunai knife. With a deft toss, the knife embedded itself into a telephone pole right next to the pizza guy's head.

"And that's how it's done." Raph remarked.

Lisa opened the pizza box, snagging one of the slices and holding it out to Raph.

"Okay, I'll admit it." she told him. "That was pretty sweet."

Raph just shrugged as they chowed down.

"So look…" Raph spoke up. "About that whole mutagen rain thing…"

Lisa paused mid bite, glancing at the turtle.

"Right. I'd almost forgotten about that." she replied. "I guess since you bought me dinner I'll hear your side of the story."

"Well it's like this," he started. "We were fighting these enemies of ours, the Kraang, in this space ship loaded with mutagen. This substance that made us what we are. During the fight, we accidentally knocked the mutagen loose and it spread all over the city."

"Man..." Lisa let out, finishing off her slice of pizza.

"I can understand if you're still mad." Raph said. "We caused a lot of pain to a lot of people."

"Dude, it's obvious the whole thing was an accident." she told him. "Why would I be mad at you about something that was beyond your control?"

Raph smiled at that response.

"That's probably the nicest thing anyone's said to us in weeks." Raph replied.

Lisa just shrugged and helped herself to a second piece. Raph went to grab one as well, but his phone began to ring.

"Uh… hold on a sec." he told her answering the phone. "Hello?"

 _"Raph."_ Leo answered back on the other end. _"Any luck finding her?"_  
"

As a matter of fact, yeah." Raph replied. "We're just chillin on a rooftop eating pizza."

 _"Seriously?"_ Leo asked. _"It wasn't just ten minutes ago she tried knocking our lights out."_

"Well we've been talking things out since then." Raph explained.

 _"You?"_ Leo sputtered. _"You. Talked things out. Mr. Stab first ask questions never?"_

"Yeah I know. Crazy right?" Raph replied. "But we're cool now."

"He bought me dinner! Of course we're cool!" Lisa shouted.

 _"Well… that's… great. Any idea what she's gonna do now?"_

"I was just about to ask actually." Raph replied.

"Ask what?" Lisa questioned, her mouth full of pizza.

"Ask what your plans are now that you're a mutant on the run." Raph answered.

Lisa shrugged.

"I'll probably have to make another food run since my stash got squashed." she listed off. "Not to mention find a new backpack, but after that, I'm sure that DaVinci and I can find somewhere to call our own."

"Seriously?" Raph asked, putting away his phone. "What about your mom? She's gotta be worried sick about you."

Lisa shook her head.

"I doubt it." she replied, looking a bit sad. "Before I ran off and became a mutant… I kinda… I said some things that… I told her I hated her."

"Yeah but did you mean it?" Raph asked. "Look me in the eye and say that. And really mean it."

Lisa looked over at Raph, but was unable to make eye contact.

"Look, even if I wanted to go back, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Look at me!" Lisa exclaimed, jumping to her feet and gesturing to herself. "I'm a freaking salamander!"

"Hey I've seen my fair share of freaks in the past," Raph replied. "Trust me, compared to them, you're pretty cute."

Lisa froze for a second, her face turning beet red. She looked at Raph, kinda running her hand along the back of her neck as a soft smile played on her face.

"Look, you still love your mom, I know it." Raph continued. "And I know your mom will to. Mutant or no mutant."

Lisa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out. She opened her eyes and steeled her resolve, grabbing DaVinci's cage.

"You're right." she told him. "It's time for me to go home."

"Heck, I'll do you one better and take you home myself." Raph told her. "And if I'm wrong, I have somewhere else you can go where being a mutant gecko is considered cool."

"Umm, Raphael?" Lisa began. "You do realize that while geckos and salamanders are physically similar, they are completely different reptiles with an entire span of physiological differences."

Raph just rolled his eyes.

"Something tells me you and Donnie would get along just fine."

"Eh, too much of a nerd." she commented. "Besides, I think out of all the turtles, you're my favorite."

With that, she clambered down the side of the building, leaving Raph standing there with a dumb smirk on his face. He then leapt down the building following her, unaware of the two over-sized mutants watching them from an adjacent rooftop.

...

Lisa stood with Raph in an alley adjacent to her home. She could see a familiar light on near the fourth floor, the floor she and her mom shared.

"I haven't been to this part of town since I ran away." she whispered, her fingers clinging to the sides of DaVinci's cage.

She then felt a comforting arm wrap around her shoulder. She turned to see it was from Raphael.

"Just remember," he reassured. "Whatever happens I'm right here."

Lisa gulped hard, then walked across the street to the building. She approached the door, then held up her hand to knock. After a moment's hesitation, she finally knocked, then waited for the door to open. After a few moments of silence, the door finally opened. Lisa straightened up, doing her best to smile. However, once the door opened fully, that smile became a look of horror, DaVinci's cage falling from her hands. Standing in the doorway was Dogpound, wearing a twisted grin on his face.

"Hello there." he greeted.

Lisa let out a scream, turning to run from the door. She didn't get far before Fishface dropped down in front of her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

Suddenly, he was kicked to the side by an oncoming Raph.

"Hey! Back off Fishface!" he yelled.

Fishface quickly recovered and got back to his robotic feet.

"This doesn't concern you, tartaruga." he told him.

Fishface then jumped onto Raph and pinned him to the ground with his foot.

"Xever!" Dogpound called out, holding Lisa with his oversized hand. "We don't have time for this!"

"Fair point." Fishface conceded before taking a bite into Raph's shoulder. "That should keep you indisposed."

With that, Fishface and Dogpound took off, leaving Raph writhing in pain.

...

Sometime later, Mikey was passing by, still chowing down on one of the pieces of pizza he'd snagged on his search. As he walked, he felt something crawl up his foot. He blinked and looked down, seeing Lisa's pet salamander DaVinci clinging to his leg.

"Hey there little guy." Mikey greeted.

DaVinci let out a small noise, then skittered up Mikey's shell until he was sitting on Mikey's shoulder. It blinked at him, then seemed to just face ahead.

"Whatcha doing out here little guy? Aren't you supposed to be with Lisa?"

That's when Mikey heard a different noise. A low groan, then shuffled footsteps. Mikey tensed for a moment, going for his Nunchucks, until he saw who it was. Raph emerged from the shadows, leaning heavily against the wall and looking just about ready to pass out.

"Raph!" he called out running over to him.

He quickly caught Raph as he slumped over.

"What happened to you bro?" he asked.

"Lisa... Dogpound… Fishface… bit me..." he said in between winces of pain.

"You're gonna be ok Raph." Mikey tried to reassure.

"Oh I'm… just fine…" Raph replied delirious. "I love you Mikey…"

"HE'S NOT FINE!" Mikey yelled.

...

Back at the apartment, Leo and Donnie regrouped to wait for the other two turtles.

"I still can't believe that Raphael, of all people, managed to talk Lisa down." Donnie commented.

"Yeah you and me both." Leo agreed. "Still, can't look a gift horse in the mouth, right?"

"You got that right." Donnie replied. "Speaking of Raph, shouldn't he be back by now?"

"Yeah, and Mikey too." Leo added.

That's when Donnie's phone began to ring. He picked it up and glanced at the screen.

"Speak of the devil." he commented as he answered. "Mikey where are-"

 _"Donnie!"_ Mikey yelled. _"Help! Raph's been bitten by a giant, poisonous, robotic fish."_

"That's impossible." Donnie dismissed. "If he was bitten it's venom, not poison."

 _"Interesting. Interesting. GET OVER HERE!"_

"Well where is here?" Donnie questioned.

 _"The brownstones off Eastman Avenue. Please hurry!"_

"We're on our way." Donnie reassured.

"Eastman Avenue?" Leo repeated. "That's way too far to travel on foot."

"Man I wish we had access to the Battle Shell right about now." Donnie said.

Leo thought for a moment, before an idea popped into his head.

"I… may have an idea." he admitted.

...

April stood in the doorway of her apartment, a mudpack on her face and a bathrobe over her nightgown as she looked at the two turtles looking up at her.

"What do you two want?" she asked.

"Hi… April." Leo greeted. "We have dire situation and we were wondering if we could borrow your van?"

"My van?" She repeated, her tone practically dripping with venom. "Why do you need my van?"

"Raph's in trouble and we need to rush across town." Donnie quickly explained. "It's… kinda life and death here."

April let out a sigh, then reached for a glass bowl beside her door. She grabbed a set of keys out of the bowl and held them out to Donnie.

"I see a single scratch on that van, and I'm going to turn you into turtle soup myself." she threatened.

"Thanks." Donnie replied.

With that, April slammed the door shut on the two turtles.

"Well that went better than expected." Donnie admitted.

"Come on," Leo told him. "Let's haul shell!"

The two turtles ran to grab the van, leaving April's apartment behind. Inside, she grabbed her phone, dialing a number that had been hastily scribbled on what looked like a fast food napkin. After a ring, the other person picked up.

"Hey Casey, you still got that spare motorcycle I can borrow?"

...

Inside the van, Leo was driving while Donnie was working with his makeshift chemistry set to cook up a cure for Raph.

"Alright Mikey," Donnie said on the phone. "What are Raph's symptoms?"

 _"Well, he's green, as in greener then his usual green."_ Mikey listed off. _"He's also calling me the smartest, most awesomest brother ever."_

"Ok, ok, he's delusional." Donnie noted, mixing the chemicals. "Any sign of nausea?"

 _"Not that I can-"_

There was the sound of retching, then Mikey made a disgusted sound.

 _"Oh gross! He got it all over me! Hey wait a minute… you did eat my pizza last night! I knew it! You liar!"_

"Just hang on Mikey, we're almost there!" Donnie promised.

As they were driving however, the van rocked back and forth slightly, much to Donnie's annoyance.

"Hey do you mind!" Donnie yelled. "I'm working here!"

"This van isn't exactly the Battle Shell Don!" Leo replied. "There are more lights blinking on the dashboard then Mikey's Christmas display!"

"Man, someone needs to give this thing an overhaul." Donnie commented.

...

Finally, the van pulled up to the brownstones where Mikey and Raph were. Once out Donnie quickly dashed over to Raph with the antidote.

"Donnie…?" Raph asked. "Why are there fingers… on my feet?"

"Just take it easy Raph," Donnie told him, injecting him with the cure. "You're gonna be all better in a minute."

Raph blinked a bit, then he shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

"Lisa!" he screamed.

"Lisa?" Leo asked, walking up. "What happened to her?"

"Dogpound and Fishface were lying in wait for her." He explained. "I managed to look inside the apartment before everything went fuzzy. Everything was trashed, and there was no mom in sight."

"If Dogpound and Fishface were here, then it looks like Old Hob is back." Leo rationalized.

Raph let out a growl.

"I knew I should have skinned that cat when I had the chance."

"Fortunately for us, we know where they live." Donnie reminded.

"Then why the shell are we still standing here?!" Raph exclaimed. "Let's go!"

...

Casey pulled up an old truck he'd borrowed from his mom, his spare motorcycle strapped to the back. He climbed out of the truck and began to unload it. As he did, April came out to greet him. Thankfully, she'd taken off the mudpack and was wearing actual clothes.

"Thanks for stopping by on such short notice." she told him.

"Not a problem." Casey replied. "Though I never pegged you for the motorcycle type."

"Well, something tells me I'm going to be without my van for a while."

She snorted a bit.

"Heck, I'll be lucky if I get it back at all."

"Why's that?" Casey asked. "Get jacked or somethin? Just give me a name and I'll teach him a thing or two."

"It didn't get jacked Casey." April assured him. "The guys needed to borrow it. Knowing them, they're probably gonna use it as a battering ram or something."

"The guys?" Casey repeated, surprised. "Haven't heard from them in a while. They doin alright?"

"Yeah I guess," April replied. "We haven't exactly been on speaking terms Casey."

"Really? Why?"

"Because thanks to them, my dad is-"

Her breath hitched as she forced back a sob.

"If you don't wanna tell me-"

"They turned him into a mutant." she finished. "Because of the guys, my dad is a mutant bat, and I don't even know where he is."

"Whoa." he let out.

"Yeah." April replied turning away.

"I know this may seem weird to say," Casey spoke up. "But don't you think you're being a bit hard on them?"

April turned to Casey in shock and anger.

"What?! You're taking their side?!"

"I'm just saying," Casey defended holding his arms up. "With everything the turtles have done, does this honestly sound like something they'd do on purpose?"

"Well… No… but they still caused it."

"Huh..." Casey let out. "Wow."

"What?" April asked raising an eyebrow.

"Just had a bit of Deja vu for a moment." Casey explained. "Someone once said that to me a few years ago."

"Really?" April asked curiously. "Who?"

"My best friend in high school." he explained. "We were both on this hockey team playing the playoffs. I was about to take the winning shot when my stick made contact with his face."

April gave a sympathetic wince.

"That must have hurt."

"Yeah. Lost a good number of teeth due to that." Casey continued. "He hated me for that. I tried to explain that it was an accident, but said just what you said. I still caused it. He hasn't talked to me since."

"But it was an accident. You didn't mean it."

"He didn't see it that way." Casey dismissed. "Some stuff's just… beyond our control."

April stood there for a minute, those words echoing through her head.

...

At Hob's hideout, Dogpound brought Lisa inside. The salamander was kicking and screaming, doing everything she could to try and break free.

"Put me down this instant you smelly flea circus!"

"If you insist." Dogpound replied, dumping her onto the ground.

She landed hard, then was immediately on her feet. She went to try and run for the door, but a raccoon man landed in front of her, blocking her escape. She skidded to a stop, then took a defensive stance.

"Get the hell out of my way, trash panda."

"You'll have to excuse Travis." Hob interjected, approaching her with a smile. "He was born a raccoon, so his people skills are rusty to say the least."

Lisa turned to Hob, keeping up her defensive stance.

"Who are you, Garfield's Ghetto cousin?"

"Ah a sense of humor," Hob noted. "I approve. Names Hob."

"Good for you, now tell your goon squad to step off or I'll have them all singing soprano for a month."

"Alright, a straight to business kinda girl, I admire that." Hob conceded. "Here's how it is. I've had my eye on you for some time kid. I like your style. And I want you to join our little posse here. What do you say?"

"Oh I have a lot to say, but my mom would probably wash my mouth out if I said it out loud."

"Funny you should say that." Hob replied.

As if on cue, Fishface and Herman came out of the shadows, carrying a woman in between them. When Lisa laid eyes on her, all the color drained from her face.

"Mom!" she screamed.

The woman looked up. She had a cut lip and seemed to be walking with a limp. When she saw Lisa, she seemed afraid for a moment. That fear then changed to confusion and horror as realization dawned on her.

"Lisa… Lisa is that you?"

"Mom, it's me I promise." Lisa replied, tears streaming down her face as she tried to approach her.

"Ah I always loved a family reunion." Hob let out pretending to brush a tear from his eye. "Here's how it gonna go sweetheart. You do what I say, when I say it, and mommy dearest goes free. Be difficult… well you're a smart girl. You can figure it out."

Lisa looked at her mom, then at Hob. Her fists clenched hard as she fought back tears.

"Even if I do agree to your terms, you won't let her go." she rationalized. "You'll just lock her away somewhere, or probably kill her just because, won't you?"

"Maybe, but can you really take that chance?" Hob challenged.

Lisa just looked down at the ground, seeming seconds away from agreeing.

"Well? What do you say?"

"I say it's fleabags like you that give us honorable mutants a bad name!"

Hob, Lisa, and everyone else looked up to see the turtles sitting in the rafters with their weapons drawn. Lisa lit up at the sight.

"Raphael!" she exclaimed.

"You guys again?" Hob called out. "Get them!"

With that, the turtles jumped down to the ground and engaged the mutants. Lisa took the opportunity to run to her mom, punching Fishface in the stomach while her tongue connected with Herman's fleshy head.

"It's okay mom," she reassured her as she worked to untie her hands. "I got you."

Meanwhile, Mikey was dealing with a mutant bull charging towards him. Seeing a nearby support beam, he ran towards it and then up it, causing the bull to hit the beam head first. Mikey then jumped off the beam and landed on the bulls head, knocking him out.

"Aw yeah!" he cried out. "How do you like that Ground Chuck?!

He mulled over the name, then shrugged.

"Eh not the best name I could come up with." He remarked.

Raph meanwhile, was going head to head with Dogpound. His sai were lunged forward in one mad strike after another.

"I owe you big time for earlier, mutt!" he told him.

Finally, Dogpound used his oversized hand to swat Raph into some nearby boxes. As Raph regained his senses, Dogpound came towards him.

"Well… it worked when Lisa tried it." Raph mused.

As Dogpound came up to him, Raph kicked Dogpound between the legs, causing him to let out a yelp in pain.

"That was… cheap." Dogpound let out before falling over.

"Yeah, but you can't argue with the results." Raph retorted.

Lisa had finally succeeded in freeing her mom's hands. Once she did, the two immediately embraced.

"Lisa I was so worried about you." she told her. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"I'm sorry Mom." Lisa apologized. "I never should have run off the way I did."

At that moment, Donnie was thrown near the two by Fishface. He recovered quickly, jumping right back into the fight. Lisa saw this and released her mom.

"I've got to help them." she declared.

Lisa's mom went wide-eyed and grabbed Lisa's arm.

"Elizabeth Anne-Marie Monogamy, what do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going to help my friends!"

"No you're not. I won't let you put yourself in danger like that! I can't-"

"Mom!" Lisa exclaimed, pulling her arm free and facing her mom fully. "Listen, I know why you don't want me to do this. I know Dad got killed trying to stop some Purple Dragons from robbing a store."

Lisa's mom froze.

"Mom, I know you've just been trying to keep me safe, but I'm not a little girl anymore. I can protect myself, and now I have mutant powers I can use. So please, for once in your life, believe that I can do this."

Lisa's mom looked conflicted for a moment, then sighed.

"Go Lisa." she decided.

Lisa smiled, then hugged her mom again before jumping into the fray. She made a beeline for a mutant mole who was about to attack Donnie. Before he could make a move however, Lisa's tongue shot out, catching him on the back of the neck.

"Watch your back, Donatello." she said as her tongue snapped back into her mouth.

"Thanks Lisa!" he called back, batting away Fishface with his staff.

"Bah!" Fishface let out. "Your little failsafe won't work this time Donatello! Spiderbytes was able to disable it."

"Fine by me." Donnie replied. "We'll just have to do this the old fashioned way."

With that, Donnie swung his staff at Fishface, only for him to jump over it and him. Fishface tried kicking Donnie from behind, but Donnie brought his staff up to block the kick. Fishface then went to his hands and let his unleash one mad kick after another. Donnie was only just able to deflect the attacks.

"Getting tired mi amigo?" Fishface taunted.

"I just need one opening." Donnie threw back.

Seeing that opening, Donnie lunged his staff forward and activated the taser setting. Electricity surged through the mutant fish as his robotic legs amplified the shock. Fishface then flopped to the ground, smoke rising from his scales. Donnie took a whiff and smiled.

"Perfectly smoked salmon." he commented.

During all this, Leo was having at it with Old Hob. The one eyed cats claws clashed against Leo's sword relentlessly.

"You never give up, do you Hob?" Leo asked.

"One could say the same thing about you, turtle boy." Hob threw back.

While the two were going at it, Raph came up and kicked Hob from behind, knocking him to the ground. As Hob tried getting up, Raph came over and grabbed him by the trench coat.

"That was for what you tried to do to Lisa." he told him. "Go anywhere near her and her mom again, and you're gonna need two eye patches!"

Raph then abruptly threw Hob to the ground. Lisa then approached him, rearing back her leg.

"This is for what you did to my Mom."

Her leg connected with the side of Hob's head, knocking the cat out cold. She huffed a bit, then turned back to her mom.

"You okay?" she asked.

Her mom pulled her close, hugging her tightly as tears of relief rolled down her face. Lisa returned the hug in turn the two women holding each other gratefully. The turtles watched the scene, the four of them moving closer to one another.

"Aww." Mikey let out.

"Try not to ruin the moment, goofball." Raph told him.

That comment caused Lisa's mom to turn in their direction.

"Wait a minute…" she said, gesturing to Raph, "I remember you."

"Me?" Raph asked.

"You got me my purse back when I was attacked by those Purple Dragons." she told him.

Raph thought back for a moment, then remembered the woman he tried to help the night he first met Casey Jones.

"Oh yeah."

"I'm sorry I ever called you a monster." she apologized.

"Hey, it's cool. I'm just glad you and Lisa are okay."

"Come on." Leo declared. "Let's get them home."

...

The turtles walked Lisa and her Mom up to the door of their home, making sure none of Hob's goons tried anything. Once they made it to the stoop, Mikey deposited DaVinci onto Lisa's shoulder as Raph addressed the two women.

"I'm afraid that Dogpound and Fishface made a big mess of your place." Raph explained, "It'll take some time to get it fixed up."

"We'll manage." Lisa's mom assured him. "Besides, it will give me and Lisa time to work some things out."

"So, you're okay with having a salamander for a daughter?" Lisa asked.

"Lisa, I'm just happy to have my daughter back. I don't care if you're a human, a salamander, or an alien."

Lisa let out a sigh of relief, giving her mom yet another hug. Her mom then turned to the turtles, giving them all grateful smiles.

"Thank you all for saving me, and bringing Lisa home."

"Hey, don't mention it." Raph told her. "We were just doing our job."

"Well, you four are welcome in my home any time." she promised.

"Especially you Raphael." Lisa told him.

She then pecked him on the cheek, eliciting a deep blush from Raph. Raph turned a bit red, smiling a bit as the other turtles got cheeky grins on their faces. Lisa and her mom then walked into the building, still holding each other.

"See you around Raphael." she called as the door closed.

"See ya around… Mona Lisa." Raph replied.

Mikey threw his arm around Raph, giving him a knowing look.

"Mona Lisa?" He asked. "Wasn't that your favorite painting from Master Splinter's Renaissance book?"

"Well, I couldn't let you give her a mutant name Mikey." Raph argued good naturedly, catching the orange turtle in a headlock and giving him a noogie. "You would have named her something stupid."

All four turtles shared a laugh as Mikey freed himself of the headlock. With their spirits higher than they'd been in weeks, they all made their way home.  
…

Back in the apartment, the turtles were viewing the latest episode of Justice Force, where Wingnut seemed to be rejoining the team.

 _"My old friends, I admit I was a bit hasty in my exodus from the group"_ he declared. _"The pain of losing Screw Loose has clouded my judgement for far too long. Well, no more!"_

 _"Welcome back old chum!"_ Silver Sentry declared, shaking his hand.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"I got it!" Donnie declared, getting to his feet.

Donnie opened it, surprised to see April in the doorway, a large stack of pizzas in her hands.

"April!" he exclaimed, searching his belt for the keys to her van. "You can have your van back. I promise I didn't-"

"No, no." she interrupted. "It's okay. You guys need it more than I do. Besides, Casey lent me his spare motorcycle, so I'm not without a ride."

"Oh… Cool..."

There was a moment of awkward silence, then April adjusted the pizza boxes in her arms.

"I ordered some pizza for dinner, though I think I ordered too much. Mind helping me eat it?"

Mikey suddenly appeared in the doorway, pushing it open all the way and leaning against it with a grin.

"April, it would be an honor and a privilege."

He then snagged the pizzas from her hand, making a beeline for the kitchen table. April laughed a bit, something Donnie couldn't help but notice.

"So… are we ok?" Donnie asked hesitantly.

April nodded.

"Casey helped me realize how badly I've been treating you." she explained. "You didn't mean to mutate my dad, and I know you've been trying to help him.

Me being mad at you isn't going to bring my dad back any faster. And besides, you're as much my family as he is."

Donnie felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shell, a genuine smile forming on his face. April then walked past him towards the kitchen.

"C'mon Don, let's get some pizza before Mikey eats it all."

Donnie laughed, then closed the door to the apartment, joining up with his family.


	26. Thrill of the Hunt

_My name is Leonardo, and our Master Splinter has bestowed on us many life lessons that we strive to live by. One of those lessons is when making choices in life, always pick the path of honor._  
 _Unfortunately, that proves to be difficult at times, especially when the honorable path involves protecting creatures that have tried to kill us in the past from some sadistic hunter. Sometimes, doing the right thing totally bites._

 _..._

The bell rang at the local elementary school, signaling the beginning of recess. Dozens of hyper kindergarteners ran out of the building towards the playground, eager to play and have fun. However, a single boy did not make a beeline for the equipment. No, this boy made his way towards the edge of the fence around the playground, searching eagerly for something. As he searched, a pair of bony hands came out above him, plucking him off the ground. He squealed, not in fear, but delight.

"Mr. Wolf!" the boy shouted happily.

Rahzar smiled at the boy, gently petting his head like one would a puppy.

"Hello Jeffrey." He greeted.

"Where's Mr. Turtle?" Jeffrey asked, searching for Rahzar's ever present companion.

"I'm right here." Tokka replied, appearing next to Rahzar.

Jeffrey grinned from ear to ear, giving the mutant snapping turtle a hug once Rahzar put him down.

"I'm glad you came." Jeffrey told them. "I was worried you wouldn't come back."

"After what happened with Carol..." Rahzar began, looking down at his razor sharp claws, "we believed we wouldn't be wanted anymore."

Jeffrey stuck out his tongue.

"That's dumb." he declared. "Carol says you guys are good guys. Besides, dad's done worse than you ever did."

At the mention of Carol and Jeffrey's father, both Tokka and Rahzar turned grim. They knew firsthand how cruel humans could be, and it pissed them off to think of their two friends suffering at their hands.  
"We could make your Dad disappear." Tokka offered.

"No Tokka." Rahzar said, shaking his head. "Carol does not want that. She does not want us to become like him."

"Mr. Wolf is right." Jeffrey agreed. "You aren't monsters. Not like dad."

"Thank you Jeffrey." Rahzar told him. "Now go play."

Jeffrey nodded, then ran off to go play. The two mutants watched him run off, both of them sharing a small smile.

Unbeknownst to either of the large mutants, a single figure watched them from the shadows, a large gun in his hands.

"Well now," he let out. "Looks like those rumors about giant beasties in New York were true."

He glanced down at a newspaper clipping he'd cut out of the day's paper. On it was security footage of the very mutants he was staring at. The article spoke of the rise of mutants in New York, and how the city had issued a reward for any mutant that was captured, either alive or dead.

"Well Betsy," he said, patting his gun. "This game just got a whole lot more interesting."

...

Back at the apartment, the turtles were enjoying some much needed down time watching more of Justice Force. In this episode, Dr. Malignus, one of the greatest enemies of the Justice Force, had just stumbled into the Justice Tower with a desperate look on his face.

 _"Justice Force!"_ he exclaimed dramatically. _"You must help me! The dreaded Avenger has come after me, and will do terrible things to me if he finds me!"_

 _"Silver Sentry,"_ Zippy Lad spoke up. _"What do we do?"_  
 _"As much as it pains me to admit it,"_ Sentry spoke. _"We must help Dr. Malignus."_

As he finished speaking, Silver Sentry knelt over in pain, clutching his chest.

 _"I told you it pained me to admit it!"_

Raph let out a growl, throwing his hands out in annoyance.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he shouted. "Dr. Malignus has spent half the season trying to kill the Justice Force, and now they're trying to save him?! I say let the Avenger get him. He deserves it."

"Hey just because he's a super villain doesn't mean the good guys should just let him die." Donnie argued.

"It's a good guy bad guy team up Raph. They're always cliché and contrived." Mikey voiced.

"I see you guys are comfortable." Leo said observing the state of his brothers. "For a minute there, I thought we had work to do. Like mutagen to find and mutants to keep from hurting the innocent."

"Aw come on Leo," Mikey spoke up. "We've just had our best break in months. We could use one day to just relax."

"Yeah," Raph agreed. "And seriously, the Sensei Leo bit is getting old."

Leo pinched in between his eyes.

"I'm being serious guys." Leo continued. "We still have threats like Hob, Tokka and Rahzar out there. We have to be on top of things."

"And we are, Leo." Donnie argued. "We've managed to find 50 of the 60 canisters, we got April back on our side, and we got a few new mutant allies."

"And Raph got a girlfriend." Mikey added. "Probably our biggest accomplishment."

Raph responded by leaping towards Mikey and tackling him to the ground. As the two were wrestling, there was a knock at the door.

"Shh." Leo let out. "Guys!"

Mikey and Raph stopped wrestling as Leo and Donnie took position on either side of the door, not sure who it could be, especially since April was at work.

"Whoooo is it?" Donnie asked doing a high pitched girly voice.

"It's the freakin' boogey man," Casey's voice replied from the other side of the door. "Now let me in already. It's important."

The two let out a sigh of relief before Leo opened the door.

"Hey Case." Leo greeted. "What's up?"

"Trouble, that's what's up." Casey replied, holding up the day's newspaper. "Check out the front page."

Leo took a look to see a bold headline that made his heart skip a beat.

 **"MUTANTS IN MANHATTAN!"** it read. **"City issues $100,000 reward for mutants captured alive or dead!"**

"Well that sounds like a problem." Donnie commented.

"You're tellin' me!" Casey replied. "Every whack job with a gun is gonna be looking for mutants!"

"100,000 dollars?" Mikey commented. "Sweet! We're worth thousands!"

"Think Shell-for-brains!" Raph snapped, whacking Mikey upside the head. "If we thought our encounter with Muckman was a close call, this is like 100 times worse!"

"Exactly." Casey agreed. "You guys need to keep out of sight until this thing blows over."

"We can't do that." Leo replied.

"What?!" they all exclaimed.

"Are you insane?" Raph asked. "Wait, let me rephrase that. You're insane!"

"There may be other innocent mutants out there." Leo argued. "Mutants who aren't as good at defending themselves as we are. Like the frogs, or Muckman… or Lisa."

Raph's angry retort died on his tongue at the thought of losing Lisa. With a growl, he turned away and crossed his arms.

"Fine..." he grumbled, "So what do you suggest we do, fearless leader?"

"We'll start by checking on our mutant friends and tell them to keep their heads down." Leo instructed, "And make one hundred and ten percent sure Mutant Island is safe and secure. After that, we'll scour the city to make sure any stray mutants don't end up on a wall or something."

"What about Old Hob?" Mikey asked. "Think we should warn him?"

"You kidding?" Raph replied. "That fur ball can take care of himself."

"No Raph." Leo interjected. "That's not how we operate. We'll give him the warning. Whether or not he heeds it is up to him."

"Ugh fine." Raph relented. "But I'm going to check on Lisa. One of you shell heads can go warn Garfield."

"Good enough for me." Leo accepted. "Let's move!"

...

Out on Mutant Island, the Punk Frogs, Mondo Gecko, Pigeon Pete, Snakeweed, and Muckman were in the middle of a large construction project. Using his trash-kinesis powers, Muckman manipulated large sections of scrap metal, arranging them into some semblance of a house. The Punk Frogs and Mondo Gecko immediately set to work sealing the pieces together. While they did that, Snakeweed focused on making as much vegetation as he could grow. He still hadn't quite mastered the creative aspect of his powers yet, but he had enough control to grow patches of grass here and there.

"Good work my friends." The Professor declared, smiling at them all. "This island is starting to look more and more like a true city with every passing day."

"The Professor's right dudes." Mikey declared as he walked up to the group. "This place is looking awesome!"

"Mikey!" Mondo called out. "Welcome mi compadre."

"What brings you to Mutant Island?" Muckman questioned.

"Bad news I'm afraid." Mikey replied. "The cities gone on high alert for us. They put a bounty on our heads and everything. Leo sent me to check and make sure you guys knew to keep your heads down."

"We will be sure to." the Professor responded. "Thank you for the words of warning Michelangelo."

Mikey gave a thumbs up before heading out.

"Man," Mondo let out. "Why do humans hate mutants? We're fun and cool!"

"I actually have a theory as to that." the Professor replied.

Everyone on the island let out a groan, Rasputin the Mad Frog giving Mondo a death glare.

...

At Old Hob's hideout, the cat was pacing around the warehouse, his nose twitching nervously. Something in the air had him on edge. He kept glancing at the door, as if he expected someone to kick it down at any second.

"Everything alright boss?" Fishface asked, walking up to Hob.

"Something ain't right..." Hob muttered. "I can feel it right down to my tail..."

"Like what?"

"I got no idea. But until I do, no one goes in or out without my say so. Got it?"

Fishface knew better than to try and argue with Hob, especially when he was acting the way he was. He held up his webbed hands in a pacifying gesture.

"Whatever you say, boss." He replied.

Up on the roof of the hideout, Donnie peered through the skylight at the mutants inside.

"Well, looks like Hobs already gotten the memo." he said to himself. "Guess that makes my job easier."

...

As Lisa's apartment, she and her mother were sitting down to dinner. Her mom had made meatloaf, and the two were about to dig in when there was a knock on the door. Lisa perked at the sound.

"Mom, was someone coming over?" she asked.

"No..." her mom replied. "Stay here, I'll go check."

Lisa nodded, then moved herself out of sight of the front door as her mom answered it.

"Can I help-? Raphael." she greeted.

Lisa stuck her head out from her hiding spot.

"Raphael?" she asked. "He's here?"

"Hey ya Lis." Raph greeted.

"What brings you this part of town?" Lisa wondered as she approached the door. "It's not Hob again, is it?"

"No," he replied. "Actually it's humans. They got this massive bounty out on mutants dead or alive."

Lisa's mom instinctively pulled her closer, Lisa wrapper her arm around her mom.

"Do they know about me?" Lisa questioned nervously.

"Doesn't look that way." Raph reassured. "Still to be safe, you should probably lay low for a while."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Lisa replied. "I haven't left the apartment since you brought me home."

"Good." Raph said, a small smile on his face. "Well, I best be going."

He turned to walk off, but Lisa caught his arm.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" she suggested. "My mom made meatloaf, and it's the best meatloaf in existence."

"Well I…"

Lisa's mom then took Raph's other arm, giving a smile of her own.

"Please?" she asked. "I never did get a chance to properly thank you for everything you've done."

"Well… I guess it couldn't hurt." Raph finally relented.

Both Lisa and her mom smiled, then they pulled the red turtle into the house, the door closing behind them.

...

Tokka and Rahzar were making their way through the back alleys on a seedier part of town, making their way towards the derelict building that had become their home for the past few weeks.

"Is it possible, Rahzar?" Tokka questioned as they walked. "Could Carol still want us?"

"Even after what I did?" Rahzar added, looking down at his claws. "I thought she'd hate me… Hate us..."

"Carol is too good for this world." Tokka remarked.

"Jeffrey too." Rahzar agreed.

As the two continued forward, they didn't see the man aiming a laser sight on his gun at Tokka. With precise aim and careful precision, he squeezed the trigger. The bullet went out of the barrel, flew through the air, and right through the mutant turtles arm. Tokka let out a cry of pain as he hunched over. Rahzar turned to his friend, cradling him as he scanned the area, trying to find the source of his friend's attack.

"Show yourself!" He snarled.

The only response he got was another bullet whizzing past him. He pulled Tokka behind a dumpster, examining the wound on his arm.

"Is it still in your arm?" Rahzar questioned.

"Yes." Tokka answered. "It hurts…"

"I've got you, my friend." Rahzar told him, priming two of his claws.

Moving fast, Rahzar dug into his friend's arm, finding the bullet and yanking it out. Tokka practically roared in pain as the bullet was removed.

...

Not too far away, Leo was leaping across the rooftops when he heard Tokka roar of agony. Curious, he bolted over to check it out. When he arrived, he saw Tokka and Rahzar crouched behind a dumpster as some unknown assailant was shooting at them. As much as he hated to admit it, and he really hated it, they needed his help. He started jumping down towards them, unaware of the mysterious third party watching him.

"Well ain't this a perty sight." The man commented. "A giant wolf, and varying sizes of turtles. This will be quite the payday."

Leo landed in front of the dumpster Tokka and Rahzar were hiding behind, giving the two mutants a worried, and slightly weary glance.

"Are you two alright?"

"What do you want, turtle?" Rahzar asked.

"Initially, I came to warn you about the hunter, but it seems you already know about him."

Leo then brought up his sword, blocking a bullet seconds before it collided with his plastron.

"How's Tokka?" Leo wondered, genuinely concerned.

"Hurt." Rahzar answered. "Bad."

"Sewer apples..." Leo cursed. "Just hang on. I'm calling for help."

He quickly pulled out his shell cell, dialing his brothers.

"Guys, I found the hunter." He hissed into the receiver. "Come to the south side of the warehouse district, and Don, bring your med kit."

...

Lisa and Raph were both laughing, two empty plates of meatloaf in front of them. Lisa's mom had already begun the dishes, leaving the two mutants to talk.

"I kid you not, I used to be terrified of spiders, but now I look at one and all I think is 'that looks like a tasty snack'.'"

Raph laughed at that.

"You think that's somethin'," he responded. "We hadn't heard of pizza for fifteen years. Before then we just lived mostly off of worms and algae."

"Ewwwwww." Lisa said, sticking out her tongue. "Man that must have sucked."

"Hey, we're turtles. Remember?" Raph reminded. "Besides, once we came to the surface, our palettes changed drastically."

"Good," Lisa said with a sigh of relief. "Because the last thing I want is to go visit my boyfriend and see him eating worms and algae for an appetizer."

Raph just chuckled a bit at that, before realizing her choice of words.

"So, I'm your boyfriend now?" he inquired.

Lisa blushed heavily upon hearing the question. Thankfully, Raph's phone began to ring, saving her from answering it.

"Hello?" Raph said answering it.

 _"Raph!"_ Leo called out. _"Found the hunter. Could use a hand over here!"_

"On my way!" Raph replied hanging up. "Sorry Lis, I gotta go."

"Be careful, okay?" Lisa begged.

"You know it." he replied, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.

With that, Raph dashed out the door, leaving Lisa blushing hard in the kitchen, her hand on her cheek.

...

Leo had vanished into the shadows of the alley, searching for the mysterious hunter currently taking pot shots at him. He followed the trajectory of the bullets, pinpointing a barely noticeable figure on the roof of an adjacent building.

"There you are." he said under his breath.

As the hunter kept shooting, he quickly found he had run out of ammo. He snarled in annoyance, reaching for a satchel bag on his side to grab some more. Reloading, he went to take aim once more, only to find that rather than three targets, he was down to two. He looked up in surprise and confusion.

"What the blazes… where'd the smaller turtle git to?"

"Right here." Leo let out.

The hunter turned around in time to see Leo kick him in the chest, knocking him to the edge of the roof. Leo then went over and picked him up by the shirt collar.

"Who are you?" Leo demanded.

"So, ya talk too… Gotta say I didn't see that comin'." The hunter remarked.

"I asked you a question." Leo told him.

"Roight." The hunter replied, "I guess since ya managed ta git this far, ya've earned the right ta know me name. I'm Jack Marlin, the greatest big game hunter the world's evah known."

"And the most modest." Leo remarked.

Marlin just chuckled, then he brought his boot down hard on Leo's foot, forcing the turtle to release him. Marlin then reached for his machete, wielding it like a pro.

"So, let's see if ya cin actually use them butter knifes of yers." Marlin taunted.

"Pal, you're gonna regret those words." Leo threw back, drawing one of his swords.

With that, the two combatants clashed blades. Each of them delivering one strike after another. Marlin was taken aback by Leo's skill with his sword and the effortless nature he exhibited keeping up with him. This was starting to get Marlin irritated as he pressed his attack. Leo took advantage of this and swept his legs out from underneath him, causing him to fall to the ground. As he started to get back up, he was greeted by Leo's blade in his face.

"A little piece of advice," Leo said. "Leave the mutants in this city alone."

"Here's a piece of advice for you." Marlin retorted. "Never threaten a hunter."

He reached into his satchel, pulling out a smoke bomb and throwing it at the ground. It exploded into a thick, brownish smoke, which instantly had Leo in a coughing fit. By the time the smoke cleared, Marlin, his machete, and his gun, were all long gone.

"So that's what it feels like to be on the other side of one of those things." he commented as the others showed up.

"Leo!" Mikey let out, jumping onto the roof and pulling out his Nunchucks, spinning them around. "Where is he? Where's the bad guy? Let me at em!"

"He got away Mikey." Leo told him.

Mikey stopped spinning his nunchaku in disappointment.

"Awwww." He groaned.

Down below, Donnie and Raph finally joined them, the former pulling his med kit from the Battle Shell.

"You okay Leo?" He questioned. "I brought the med kit like you told me to."

"It's not for me, Don." Leo told him, pointing towards Tokka and Rahzar's dumpster. "It's for Tokka."

"You gotta be kidding me." Raph let out.

"The Hunter, some big shot named Jack Marlin, shot Tokka in the arm." Leo explained. "Rahzar got the bullet out, but he needs help. Think you can do it Don?"

"I'll see what I can do." Donnie told him, heading over to Tokka.

Rahzar watched the purple turtle, eying him with suspicion. Tokka just placed his good arm on his friend, giving a single nod. Reluctantly, Rahzar backed off a bit, giving Donnie the room he needed to work. Raph came up to Leo, his eyes never leaving the two hostile mutants.

"Leo, why the shell are we helping them?"

"Because they need our help." Leo answered.

"Need I remind you what happened last time we dealt with these guys?" Raph retorted.

"I remember, believe me." Leo answered. "But that doesn't mean we should abandon them when there's some deranged hunter on the loose."

Donnie finished bandaging Tokka's arm, wiping his brow.

"I did the best I could, but we shouldn't stay out here in the open." Donnie commented.

"You two need to lay low for the time being." Leo declared. "Maybe you should consider talking to Carol. She was able to-"

"No!" Rahzar shouted, causing the turtles to back off a bit.

"Okay… Not Carol then." Leo corrected. "Probably a bad idea anyway."

"Well, whatever hideout you guys had in this area, I have a feeling it's no longer safe." Donnie surmised. "If you'll let us, we can help you find somewhere to hide out until this whole thing blows over."

"I'm sorry, when did we become a hostile mutant relocation service?!" Raph asked. "What's next, bunking with Old Hob and the Kraang?"

"Raph, stop it." Leo snapped. "If we leave Tokka and Rahzar out here, especially when one of them is injured, then we might as well be painting targets on their backs. Master Splinter wouldn't want that, and neither do I."

Raph grumbled a bit before just crossing his arms in response. Mikey then approached Tokka, helping Rahzar lift him to his feet.

"Don't worry dudes." He assured them. "Once this whole thing blows over, you can go back to hating our guts and trying to eat us."

"... That is fine with me." Tokka responded.  
With that, the six mutants began making their way out of the alley, hoping to find a safe place to hide out before sunrise.

...

Meanwhile, the hunter was in a small motel room, sitting on a wooden chair as he stared at a wall. Said wall was decorated with news clippings, footage from various security cameras, as well as crude sketches of the various mutants of the city.

"I gotta admit Amelia," the hunter said a loud. "We got a lot to work with in this city. And I have a pretty good idea of where to start."

He looked at one photo of Tokka and Rahzar, one showing them interacting with a young boy. He grinned, then cocked his gun.

"Looks like it's time for Jack Marlin to get back on the hunt."

...

The turtles, Tokka, and Rahzar managed to find an old warehouse near the docks, far from where Marlin had encountered them. They all got settled in, Rahzar leaning Tokka against a support beam as Donnie double checked his wound.

"He seems to be doing okay for now, but it might be best if he doesn't use his arm until it heals fully."

"We are no strangers to pain or injury." Rahzar quipped. "Nor is this the first time he's been shot."

"Looks like you guys have been through some serious shell." Donnie observed. "Did it happen before you were mutated?"

The two mutants were silent, Tokka gripping Rahzar's claw with his good hand. It was all the answer the purple turtle needed. Donnie winced visibly.

"No wonder you were so against going to see Carol." He muttered.

"We have hurt her enough already..." Rahzar lamented.

"So what now?" Mikey asked.

"Now we find this Jack Marlin, and makes sure he hightails it out of New York." Leo decided.

"Kickin butt?" Raph asked, cracking his knuckles. "Now you're talkin.

"But where do we start?" Mikey questioned. "He could be anywhere."

"We'll start back on that rooftop." Leo answered. "It's time for the hunter to become the hunted."

...

At the elementary school, Jeffrey sat near the edge of the fence, searching for Tokka and Rahzar. So far, neither mutants had shown up, which made the boy more than a little scared. As the boy started to turn away and head back to the playground, a man approached him.

"Ello young man."

Jeffrey jumped, looking back at the man.

"Um… hello."

"You look like you're waiting for someone." he observed.

"My friends..." Jeffrey said quietly.

"Friends?" he responded. "Do these friends have names?"

"Mr. Wolf and Mr. Turtle..." Jeffrey answered. "But Carol calls them Token and Razor."

"Token and Razor you say? Well it just so happens, your friends are my friends."

Jeffrey's face lit up.

"Really?" he asked. "Do you know where they are? They never miss recess."

"They said they had to take care of something. Would you like me to take you to them?"

"Yes please!" Jeffrey cheered. "Please!"

"Well then, let's see Token and Razor."

...

The turtles were scanning the rooftop where Leo had engaged Marlin, trying to find any sign of the guy. Unfortunately, it seemed that his boats about being the greatest were not without merit.

"Jeez, this guy doesn't leave a trace" Donnie observed. "Not so much as a shell casing to be found."

"So now what, fearless leader?" Raph asked.

As they tried to think of a new plan, all of their shell cells began beeping simultaneously. They all stopped, pulling out the cells.

"An Amber Alert." Donnie declared. "That's not good."

"We get those?" Mikey questioned.

"Considering most of our nights are spent crime fighting, I figured it be helpful to get crime alerts." Donnie explained.

"Guys, the alert's for Jeffrey Dunham." Leo let out, reading the alert with no small amount of panic. "He was snatched from the playground of his school."

"I'll bet ya a dozen pizza's that Marlin guy snatched him." Raph snorted. "Probably saw Leo's new pals playing with him and thought he could use the boy as bait."

"We should tell Tokka and Rahzar." Mikey suggested.

"And have them tear the city apart looking for him?" Donnie countered.

"We may not have a choice." Leo argued. "We don't have a clue of where to start looking, and those two may be our only way to find him."

"This is gonna be fun." Raph lamented.

...

What?!" Rahzar shouted before throwing Mikey into a wall. "Jeffrey is missing?!"

Mikey rebounded hard, landing hard on his knees. He didn't stay there long before Rahzar grabbed him, lifting him against the wall as his claws dug into his neck. Raph quickly kicked him off and pointed his sai at him.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Try not to clobber my brothers when we're trying to help you."

Tokka struggled to his feet, still a bit weak, and walked towards his friend.

"Rahzar… If Jeffrey is missing, we need their help to find him." He warned. "I cannot fight, not as I am."

Rahzar let out a growl of irritation, knowing his friend was right. Reluctantly, he released Mikey, letting the orange turtle drop to the ground.

"You are right." Rahzar relented.

"So how can we find him?" Leo asked.

"I know his scent." Rahzar told him. "I can track him."

"The lead the way Rahzar." Leo told him, gesturing for the door.

"I'm coming too." Tokka declared. "I will not leave Rahzar's side."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Donnie protested. "You're still wounded and-"

"He. Is coming." Rahzar insisted, glaring at Donnie.

There was a moment of silence before the purple turtle spoke again.

"Ok." Donnie replied, raising his hands and backing off.

...

Jeffrey sat in a small cage, Jack Marlin sitting on a wooden chair beside him. It was surprising to Marlin how calm the boy was. While his face was red from earlier screams, he was silent now, watching the hunter like a hawk as he curled up in a ball.

"You seem pretty quiet lad." he observed. "Earlier you were makin more noise than a koala with his tail on fire, now you're as quiet as the dead."

Jeffrey just said nothing, continuing his silent vigil.

"I think I know what it is." Marlin guessed. "You think your mutie friends are coming to save you don't you?"

"Mr. Wolf is gonna eat you." Jeffrey promised. "And Mr. Turtle will eat the leftovers."

"Will they now?" Marlin asked sarcastically. "Well maybe I want Mr. Wolf and Mr. Turtle to find me."

Jeffrey looked confused, hugging himself tighter.

"Why…?"

"Well I'm what you call a big game hunter." he explained. "I catch special animals, like your friends and display them for the world to see.

Jeffrey gasped.

"That's not right!" Jeffrey shouted. "Mr. Wolf and Mr. Turtle are nice!"

"Nice doesn't mean much in this world." he dismissed. "When you grow up you'll understand."

...

Just a short distance away, Tokka, Rahzar, and the turtles were closing in on the missing boy. They stopped just outside a meatpacking plant so Rahzar could get a good bearing on Jeffrey's scent.

"This the place?" Leo asked.

"His scent ends here..." Rahzar replied. "The smell of meat… it's masking Jeffrey's smell."

"Probably planned it that way." Donnie surmised.

"It's a trap..." Tokka surmised. "Rahzar..."

"We don't have a choice." Rahzar replied. "What would happen to Jeffrey if we didn't show?"

Both mutants shivered at the idea.

"Then let us go." Tokka decided.

The six mutants jumped down and opened the door leading inside. Within the building was several rows of pig meat waiting to be cut and processed.

"This is kinda unsettling dudes." Mikey admitted.

"Come on." Raph let out pushing forward.

As they slunk deeper into the packing plant, Rahzar's ear twitched. Suddenly at the back of the room, several posts rose out of the ground and started firing at the mutants. All six of them started scattering around the room, trying to avoid the blasts. Raph landed and took out his sai, using them to deflect the laser blasts. As Leo kept jumping around the room, he saw the posts that were shooting at them.

"Rahzar!" Leo called out. "Use your claws to take out those turrets!"

Rahzar wasted no time, sending out a wave of claws towards the turrets. They made short work of the machinery, the sharp bone-like projectiles sticking out of the sparking metal.

"Well that was easy." Mikey said, landing on the ground.

"It ain't over yet." Rah told him.

From near the back of the building, a cry rang out.

"Mr. Wolf! Mr. Turtle! It's a trap!"

"Jeffrey!" Tokka and Rahzar shouted in unison.

They wasted no time rushing towards the source of the scream, with the turtles not far behind. Tokka and Rahzar burst down the door to see Jeffrey sitting in his cage. He was pressed up against the bars, looking at them in a panic.

"Run!" Jeffrey screamed. "He's got a-"

Before he could finish, a large metal cage dropped on the two and the bars immediately electrified, causing the two mutants to cry and out in pain.

"Another successful hunt for Jack Marlin." Marlin praised as he came out of the shadows. "You two are gonna make me a very rich man."

"Let them go Marlin." Leo told him.

Marlin looked up to see the turtles running up to him. He grinned, pulling out his gun.

"Four of the smaller ones eh?" he remarked as he took aim. "I'm gonna be filthy rich after tonight!"

"The only green you're gonna get is our fists in your face you glorified poacher." Mikey threw back.

Marlin growled at that before opening fire on them. The turtles quickly jumped out of the way of the shots. Donnie quickly threw a throwing star at the barrel of the gun, clogging it. Marlin looked at his gun in surprise.

"Aw Bugger."

Mikey quickly zoomed in and knocked the gun out of his hands. Marlin pulled out his machete and was about to bring it down on Mikey, only for Raph to block it with his sai. A quick twist of the sai snapped the machete in half, much to Marlin's surprise.

"What in blazes are ya!?" he exclaimed, still gripping his broken machete.

"We're turtles." Leo answered, pounding his fist.

"Of the teenage mutant ninja variety pal." Mikey added, earning a smack from Raph.

"Now let them go." Leo demanded. "Before things get really ugly."

Marlin eyed the four turtles, then pulled out a remote from his shirt. He tossed it to Donnie, who pressed a few buttons on it, opening the cages. Tokka and Rahzar fell to their knees in relief ass Jeffrey scrambled over to the two mutants. He hugged them both, sobbing in relief as they both returned his hug in kind.

"Jeffrey..." Tokka said softly, petting the boy with his good arm. "You're alright."

Jeffrey hiccupped and cried into Tokka's shell. Rahzar looked down at his two friends, the wound on Tokka's shoulder and the shudders going through Jeffrey. His eyes narrowed and he turned to Marlin, snarling in unbridled fury.

"You hurt Tokka…. And you hurt Jeffrey..."

He stalked towards the man, grabbing him and lifting him into the air, slamming him against the wall.

"Now I hurt you!" Rahzar yelled extending his claws.

Just as he brought them down on him, they were blocked by Leo's sword.

"You're defending him?!" Rahzar let out, turning to the blue turtle.

"He's scum to be sure." Leo admitted. "But that doesn't give us the right to play judge jury and executioner."

Rahzar growled at this before pulling out his other hand and slapping Leo away.

"This man hurt my friends." Rahzar told him. "If you're defending him… you're just as bad as he is!"

As Leo got to his feet, the other turtles landed in front of him.

"You gonna have to go through us first, dog breath!" Raph threatened.

"Mr. Wolf no!" Jeffrey screamed. "No more!"

Rahzar looked back at Jeffrey, who was clinging to Tokka with a terrified expression on his face.

"Please… no more..."

Rahzar saw his fear and decided to back off. He dropped Marlin, who wasted no time getting the heck out of the meatpacking plant. Rahzar then helped Tokka to his feet, the latter picking up Jeffrey and cradling him close.

"We will leave you turtles alone… for now." Rahzar relented. "But the next time we meet, it won't be as friends."

With that, the two mutants stormed out of the building, carrying the boy with them.

"Should we go after them?" Mikey asked.

"No." Leo replied. "I think we've done enough for one night."

"What about Jeffrey?" Donnie asked.

"Knowing them they'll probably take him to either Carol or their father." Leo guessed. "They just want to keep him safe."

"Yeah," Raph agreed. "He and Carol seem to be the only humans they care about. To them the rest of the world can go to hell."

...

Tokka and Rahzar walked down the street, Jeffrey fast asleep in the former's arm. They both looked down at the boy, torn at what to do with him.

"We should take him to Carol." Rahzar suggested. "She will keep him safe."

"No, the humans would force her to return him to his father." Tokka reminded.

"Why can they not see he is a monster?" Rahzar questioned.

"They don't seem to care." Tokka told him. "It is, as Carol said, just how things are."

"But it doesn't have to be." a voice countered.

The two mutants turned around to see a man in some kind of ninja garb standing in front of them. The two mutants instantly got into hostile stances, Tokka pulling Jeffrey closer.

"Who are you?" Tokka demanded.

"My name is Nakumo." he introduced. "I represent an organization that could be very beneficial for the two of you."

"We have little reason to trust humans..." Rahzar snarled.

"I can understand that," Nakumo admitted. "But I do know there is at least one human you trust; Carol Dunham."

Both mutants froze.

"How do you-" Rahzar began.

"I have my ways." he answered. "We have a knack for finding things out."

"We?" Tokka repeated.

"The organization I work for, the Foot Clan." he explained. "We've seen you two in action and would greatly value your services."

"Why would we ever help you?" Rahzar snapped. "We have nothing to gain."

"No but Carol does."

This caught the two mutants' attention.

"I can arrange a nice life for her." he offered. "Better home, high paying job, even arranging it so that Jeffrey gets to go home to his big sister. Don't you think after everything she's done for you, you owe her that kind of happiness?"

The two mutants exchanged glances.

"A better life for Carol..." Tokka mused.

"And Jeffrey..."Rahzar added before his face became hostile again, "What's the catch?"

"Nothing major," Nakumo responded. "Just the odd job here and there. And your first task I think you're gonna enjoy."

Rahzar's ears perked up a bit. Nakumo smirked.

"What do you want us to do?" Tokka asked.

"Sniff out some pests that have given my organization trouble. Four mutant turtles."

Both mutants grinned as Rahzar offered out his paw.

"You have a deal."


	27. The Dangerous Mind of Dr Falco

_My name is Donatello. Being the science turtle, I have grown up being the butt of every Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde joke Mikey could come up with. I always told him that mad scientists were the stuff of horror movies and science fiction novels. However, after meeting a rather… eccentric scientist by the name of Dr. Falco, I'm starting to think that maybe my statement was false._

…

On the rooftop of the Second Time Around, the turtles were once again training to perfect their skills. Donatello was teamed up against Mikey, who was spinning his nunchuks in a cocky fashion only he could pull off.

"Come at me bro!" Mikey taunted.

Donnie spun his staff wildly as he ran forward. He was eying Mikey's stance, noticing he was in a rather relaxed defensive stance. Thinking he had the advantage, he took a swing at his legs. To his surprise however, Mikey jumped over the staff, and roundhouse kicked Donnie across the face.

"Oh yeah! Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered as he landed.

Donnie groaned as he got off the ground.

"No way." He let out. "How could you beat me? I had you."

"You just thought you did, but I played you like a trombone."

He then proceeded to mimic the sad trombone noise, complete with trombone pantomimes.

"Mature Mikey." Donnie replied. "Real mature."

"Donnie, I think you're thinking too hard about your moves." Leo suggested walking over to them.

"Well how can I fight if I don't think my moves through?" Donnie asked.

"Easy bro, you just go with the flow." Mikey suggested. "That, and backflips are always sweet."

"So you've said in the past." Donnie retorted.

"I think Mikey is saying to stop thinking about fighting and just do it." Leo clarified. "You know, fight without thinking."

"Why would I want to do that?" Donnie asked. "Almost as importantly, how would I do that?"

"Watch and learn." Leo responded.

He then went at Mikey, unleashing several punches and kicks at him. But Mikey just deflected and dodged all of them.

"See?" Leo showed. "Mikey doesn't think."

"Hey!" Mikey yelled.

"That was meant as a compliment Mikey." Leo clarified.

"Oh…" Mikey realized. "Well thanks."

"You're welcome." Leo responded before turning back to Donnie. "The way Splinter described it to me was 'to find the space between your thoughts and live there'."

"I see." Donnie noted. "But Mikey has a lot more space between his thoughts than I do with mine."

"Hey!" Mikey yelled. "Wait, was that meant to be a compliment or an insult?"

"It doesn't matter how smart, or how Mikey you are." Leo told Donnie. "I'm sure you'll find your space. Just give yourself a chance to actually find it before you start overthinking things."

"I… guess." Donnie responded.

About that time, the door to the roof was thrown open and Raph came onto the roof.

"Hey done, can you make this doo-dad of yours shut up?" He demanded, waving around Donnie's mutagen tracker. "It's been going off for an hour now and it's getting on my nerves."

"My mutagen tracker?" Donnie asked. "It located a new canister and you didn't say anything?!"

"I was enjoy watching you get your shell handed to you by Mikey of all people." Raph admitted, smirking.

Donnie gave a face of irritation as he walked over to Raph and snatched the tracker out of his hands. It was showing a single canister off in the business district of New York, a few miles from their current location.

"We got a live one boys." Donnie called out. "Follow me."

"Lead the way Don." Leo replied as the others followed after him.

…

The turtles followed the signal towards a small building called Rockwell-Falco Labs. Several lights were on inside, giving the entire building an eerie look in the darkened night.

"This is it?" Raph asked.

"According to the tracker, yes." Donnie confirmed.

"Creepy..." Mikey mused. "I wonder what's going on in there. Do you think some mad scientist is doing freaky mutagen experiments?"

"Mikey, mad scientist aren't real." Donnie countered. "They just exist in horror stories and cheesy movies."

"What about Baxter Stockman?" Mikey asked.

"He's a fruitcake, not a mad scientist." Donnie argued. "Now is this really the time to be having this conversation?"

"Don's right." Leo agreed. "Let's get in, grab the canister, and get the shell outta dodge before someone sees us."

The turtles then made their way to the roof of the lab. Once on top they eyed a skylight, ideal for ninja entry.

"Donnie, get it open." Leo whispered.

Donnie nodded, then pulled out a set of lock picks, getting right to work on the skylight. Within minutes, he had it opened. The turtles then dropped down to the lab one by one. As they landed, they could see a single man standing before a large lab table, a few cages containing various species of rats surrounding him. He had a jet white rat in his hand, gently stroking its head with a single finger.

"It's alright, little one." he told it. "This will only hurt for a moment."

The man then picked up a small dropper containing an all too familiar glowing liquid.

"Mutagen at 12 o'clock!" Mikey let out.

The man turned around, shocked to see four man sized turtles standing before him. He stumbled back in surprise, dropping both the rat and the dropper of mutagen.

"Great Caesar's ghost!" the man exclaimed.

"Lose the ooze bub." Raph demanded. "Before we make you."

The man looked over at a half empty canister of ooze displayed on the table next to him.

"Oh my, is it yours?" He questioned. "I do apologize. It fell through my skylight a few weeks ago. If I had known it belonged to beings such as yourselves, I never would have experimented with it."

The turtles were taken aback by this. No one had responded to their appearance in such a calm and reserved tone before.

"Oooookay?" Mikey replied.

"Don't you think we're the least bit odd or strange?" Leo asked.

"My dear fellow, I have been experimenting with this 'ooze' as you call it for quite some time now. I'm very well aware of the effects it has on life forms." The man replied before examining the turtles carefully. "From your physique, as well as the plastron patterns on your torsos, would I be correct in assuming you four were box turtles before your exposure to this substance?"

"Uh…. yes." Donnie confirmed. "Mutated fifteen years ago."

Raph quickly elbowed him in the arm.

"Don't give out our origin story to complete strangers." Raph told him.

"You have nothing to fear from me." The man promised. "I give you my solemn word that knowledge of you will not leave this laboratory."

"Forgive us for being a bit skeptical Mr…" Leo responded.

"Doctor actually." The man corrected. "Dr. Victor Falco, co-founder of this fine institution."

"Co-founder?" Donnie repeated. "Where's your partner."

Falco gave a small nod.

"Dr. Rockwell, my esteemed companion, is currently participating in a science symposium down in Orlando." He explained. "He's not scheduled to return to New York for another couple of weeks at least."

"I see." Donnie observed. "So what are you using the mutagen for if I may ask?"

Falco grinned, clapping his hands together.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you ask me that. I have been dying to show someone for a while now."

Falco walked over to a separate table, one covered with a white sheet. With a showman's air, he pulled it back, revealing a slim, metallic headband with a vein of mutagen running across it.

"This is my neuro-transmitter." Falco explained, lifting it up. "With it, I will theoretically have the ability to control the minds of lesser creatures. Specifically, I hope to use it to draw out all of the rats infesting New York City, thereby bringing an end to the infestation and leaving the city in a much cleaner state. I'm aware that Dr. Stockman attempted to do that with his robotic mouser units, but this will be much more humane, and less damaging to the city's infrastructure."

"Yeah we had some… complaints regarding Stockman's mousers." Leo remarked.

"The mutagen has been a great help in my project." Falco continues, putting the headband back. "It strengthens the mental prowess of any being it comes into contact with, as my experiments with the lab rats has proven. With this special strain I've created, my original timeline for the completion of the project will be moved up exponentially."

"Whoa." the turtles let out.

"Wait," Donnie spoke up. "You said you could control every rat in the city?"

"Theoretically, I will be able to." Falco replied.

"Maybe you can help us." Donnie suggested. "We're looking for a… certain rat we've lost."

Falco raised an eyebrow.

"A rat?" he questioned. "Mutated, or a normal one?"

"Mutated." Donnie answered. "You see… he's our father."

Falco blinked in surprised, then his face became sympathetically sorrowful.

"I see… I'm sure you must miss him greatly. I wish I could help you."

"Maybe you can." Donnie replied. "If I can get your machine fine-tuned correctly, it could hone in on him and bring him to us."

Falco tapped his chin in contemplation.

"I suppose having someone to aid me in my endeavors would be beneficial." He admitted. "More than that, I suppose I do owe you for using your mutagen in my experiments."

"Thanks Dr. Falco." Donnie responded. "Let's get started.

"So what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Mikey asked.

"Feel free to explore and make use of any of the facility's equipment." Falco offered. "I only ask that you refrain from snooping in Dr. Rockwell's lab. He's rather persnickety about people tampering with his equipment."

"Alright." Leo agreed. "Call us if you need anything Don."

With that, the three went to look around a bit, leaving the two geniuses to get to work. Once the door to the lab closed, Raph snagged Leo by the arm, pulling him around a corner.

"Leo, do you think it's a good idea to just trust some random guy we've just met?"

"Probably not." Leo admitted. "But if this guy can help us find Splinter, we can't just pass that up, right?"

"Trust me, I want to find sensei just as much as you do, but for all we know, this guy could be some whack job trying to create his own mutant army."

"And we have enough of those out there." Leo concurred. "Maybe we should look into things."

"I'll keep an eye on Don." Raph offered. "You see if this Falco and his partner are legit."

"Right." Leo agreed. "Come on Mikey."

"Right behind ya." Mikey called out as they went off.

…

As Raph went towards the lab, Donnie and Falco were looking over several blueprints for Falco's device.

"The headband converts thoughts into radio waves, transmitting them at a frequency only certain creatures can receive." Falco explained, pointing out various points on the blueprints. "In this case, rats. Unfortunately, I don't have a strong enough signal to control rats that aren't contained within a one mile radius."

"I see…" Donnie observed. "Perhaps if we can tap into various radio towers around the city, we can boost the signal and get a wider range."

"Brilliant notion Donatello." Falco praised. "We'll have to build some receivers to attach to the towers. I may have some spare parts down in storage. I'll go fetch them."

Falco went off to collect the parts. That's when Raph came up to Don.

"Hey Don," he said, getting his brothers attention. "Keep an eye on Falco. Something about him seems a bit off."

"Raph, to you, everything seems a bit off." Don countered, looking a bit annoyed.

"I'm just sayin, we shouldn't just trust this guy blindly." Raph replied.

"Raphael, you need to learn to trust people." Donnie told him, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Not everybody has an evil agenda, despite what you might think. Falco is a man of science. I think we can rely on him."

"Yeah, well I thought something similar about Old Hob." Raph countered. "And we both know how that turned out."

"Well, unlike you, I actually think things through rather than barrel in guns blazing." Donnie snapped.

Raph growled a bit.

"Fine!" Raph yelled, slapping his hand off. "Don't believe me! You and your new BFF can have all the sciency fun you want! Just don't come crying to me when this whole thing blows up in our faces."

With that, Raph stormed off in a huff. Donnie watched him go, then promptly face palmed.

"Way to go Donatello." He grumbled to himself. "You just pissed off your own brother."

…

Back with Leo and Mikey, Leo had managed to find a computer. He used it to look up Falco's partner, Dr. Rockwell, thinking there might be a clue to Falco's identity, as well as his credibility.

"Find anything Leo?" Mikey asked, spinning around in a rolling chair.

"Nothing we don't already know." Leo reported. "According to this, Falco and Rockwell were partners that opened this lab a few years ago. Apparently their goal was to find a safer pesticide that would eventually rid the city of its rat problem."

"Man… I'd hate to be a rat in this town if they succeeded… Wait, did I do this joke before?"

Leo just rolled his eyes as he continued his search. Something else on the screen however, caught his eye.

"Well now that's interesting." Leo noted. "According to this, Rockwell was reported missing about six weeks ago."

"Whoa… Isn't that when the mutagen rain happened?" Mikey asked.

"Around that time, yeah." Leo answered.

Something began to gnaw at Leo, a thought that just wouldn't go away. He thought back to Falco's nonchalantness to their mutation, as well as his blatant lie about the science symposium. Something wasn't right. Not in the slightest.

"Mikey," Leo spoke up. "I think it's time for you to do what you do best."

"Leo, you seriously want me to belch the alphabet now?" Mikey questioned.

"No not that." Leo protested. "Breaking into places you know you're not supposed to be in."

"Oh… That makes much more sense." Mikey admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

…

While Donnie and Falco were busy building the receivers that would amplify the power of the latter's headband, Raph watched from the doorway, still fuming about his earlier argument. Raph was no stranger to having his mistakes thrown in his face, but it was usually in a joking manner, and usually by Mikey. Don had never snapped at him that way and it was really getting to him.

"I think this should do it." Falco declared, holding up the last of the receivers. "Think you can set these up while I monitor the signal from here?"

"Should be done in no time." Donnie replied.

"Excellent." Falco said with a smile. "I'll be waiting here for you to return."

With that, Donnie took the receivers and vaulted out the window to get them in place. Once he disappeared, Raph let out a cough, drawing Falco's attention.

"You and Don seemed to have hit it off." he remarked.

"He is a remarkable intellect." Falco complimented. "Something I have a hard time coming across.

"Yeah, he's a great turtle." Raph agreed. "But as smart as he is, he can also be a bit dense."

"Oh?" Falco asked. "How so?"

Raph crossed his arms, leaning against a work table.

"He tends to not think clearly when he's working, especially when he's invested in something personally." Raph explained. "And right now, you're the freaking genie of the lamp to him."

"He wants to find your father, and I want help with my research." Falco reasoned. "Seems like a fair trade to me."

"Trust me when I say, Don ain't the only one desperate to find our father." Raph argued. "But something about you just rubs me the wrong way, and frankly, if it were up to me, I'd take your precious headband and stuff it where the sun don't shine."

Raph then walked out of the lab, leaving Falco in a masked state of irritation.

…

Meanwhile, Mikey was standing right outside Dr. Rockwell's lab. The door was locked, obviously, so the orange turtle was currently trying to figure out another way in.

"Hmmm…." Mikey pondered. "How to get in carefully, and without arousing suspicion?"

Mikey then snapped his fingers, thinking of an idea. He then pulled out a nunchaku and used it to smash the door handle off.

"Mikey," he said to himself. "You are a genius."

He then pushed the door open, whistling happily to himself. He closed the door behind him and began to look around. His face fell as what he thought would be an interesting Dr. Frankenstein lab turned out to be nothing more than a dusty room filled with dusty equipment and papers.

"Aw man, what a letdown." he lamented. "Donnie was right, mad scientists aren't real. Either that or they're really boring."

"Oh Mad scientists are real my boy." A heavy accented voice called out from somewhere in the room. "They are just very good at hiding their true nature."

Mikey jumped, pulling out his Nunchucks in defense.

"W-who's there?" he asked, nervously.

"Over here my friend." The voice declared.

Mikey turned around to see nothing but a monkey in a cage. Mikey raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Umm… Hello?"

"Hello." The monkey replied.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Mikey screamed, stumbling back and falling to the ground. "A talking monkey?!"

The monkey looked scared, making shushing motions.

"Keep it down dear fellow." it whispered. "You'll have him running our direction in you keep shouting like that."

"Sorry." Mikey whispered. "So how long have you been a talking monkey?"

"For approximately 6 months, 5 days, and 17 hours, give or take a day or so." The monkey replied.

"Wow." Mikey remarked. "Did the mutagen give you a bigger brain or something?"

"No, why would you-" The monkey cut itself off as realization dawned. "Oh, I see the confusion. You are under the impression I was a simian before my unfortunate transformation."

"You mean you weren't always a monkey?" Mikey asked.

"No dear fellow." The monkey replied. "I was a man. Dr. Tyler Rockwell to be exact."

"Dr. Rockwell?" Mikey let out. "Falco's partner?"

"Yes..." Rockwell snarled. "Or at least I was until that godforsaken canister fell on me, reducing me to this form. Falco took full advantage of my new form, locking me in here and taking full control of the laboratory."

"I knew that guy was bad news." Mikey said, ticked off. "And now he's using my bro to help finish his stupid headband."

Rockwell's eyes flew open.

"The headband? He's finished it?!"

"Looked like it last I checked." Mikey answered. "Why?"

"Whatever Falco told you about that headband was wrong." He replied, speaking fast. "While it does control only rats at this point in time, he plans to upgrade it so it can control people. Rats are to be a mere demonstration of his power to force the city to its knees!"

"Oh my gosh." Mikey said, utterly shocked. "He really is a mad scientist. I gotta tell Donnie."

"Yes, but first, I beg you to release me! It's my fault Falco was even able to get this far, so I must do whatever I can to stop him."

"You got it Monkey Brains." Mikey replied.

Rockwell blinked.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Monkey Brains." Mikey repeated. "Cause you're a monkey with super smart brains."

Rockwell face palmed, letting out a sigh.

"Let's just get this over with." he said in a deadpan voice.

"Right, sorry." Mikey responded.

…

Out in the city, Donnie was setting up the last receiver when he heard his shell cell ring.

"Hello?" Donnie answered.

 _"Donnie!"_ Mikey let out. _"Falco is a real fruitcake! You gotta stop him!"_

"Have you been talking to Raphael?" Donnie asked, being skeptical.

 _"No but I have been talking to Falco's partner who was turned into a monkey."_ Mikey replied.

Donnie rolled his eyes in irritation.

"Really? Is that so?"

 _"Indeed it is my friend."_ A voice that was most definitely NOT Mikey replied,

"Who is this?" Donnie asked.

 _"Dr Rockwell, as your orange companion explained. Now, whatever it is that my former partner had you do, undo it!"_

Donnie hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to trust this newcomer and try to remove the receiver. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he pulled, the receiver wouldn't budge.

"Stuck." Donnie said to himself. "Time for plan B."

Donnie then pulled out his staff, activated the blade end, and stabbed the receiver, shorting it out.

"Mikey," Donnie said, pulling back out his shell cell. "Tell Leo and Raph what's going on and to meet me back in Falco's lab. Time to have a few words with my new friend."

…

Falco stood in his lab, grinning as he watched the monitors of various computers display the rise in signal across the city.

"Yes..." he said, a maniacal edge to his voice as he reached for his headband, "It's finally ready."

"Alright Falco!" Leo called out, getting Falco's attention. "We've had enough of your-"

"Do not say monkeying around." Raph cut off.

"I wasn't going to." Leo insisted.

"Ah turtles." Falco greeted, examining the headband. "I see that the 'jig is up' as it were."

"We know what you did with Rockwell." Mikey told him. "And what you really want to do with that headband. BTW, you know you're insane right?"

"Insanity is often confused with genius, dear boy." Falco replied, sliding the headband onto his head. "I even planned for you to destroy my receivers. Luckily, they only needed to be connected to the towers long enough for me to connect to the various stations so my signal would broadcast across the city.

"That sounds bad." Mikey commented.

"It is." Donnie confirmed.

"You have no idea." Falco added. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

There was a low rumbling that suddenly permeated throughout the building. Raph raced towards a window to see what was causing it.

"Uh guys," he called out. "You might wanna see this."

They all ran to the windows, all of them going wide eyed.

"Rats..." Mikey swore.

"A lot of rats." Leo added.

Outside, millions of rats were coming out of the woodwork. They poured out of the sewers, from alleys, and just about anywhere that a rat could hide. It was a huge wave of brown, grey and black sweeping through the streets.

"Ya know, a better man wouldn't say I told you so." Raph commented, giving Donnie a death glare. "Too bad I'm a turtle."

He punched Donnie in the arm.

"I told ya so!"

"So… what exactly are those rats gonna do when they get here?" Mikey asked.

"Let's not wait around to find out." Leo declared.

He then charged towards Falco ready to punch him, but surprisingly, Falco side stepped out of the way. Leo performed a spin kick at him, but Falco just ducked, a cocky smile on his face.

"It seems my headband does more than control rats." He remarked. "The mutagen in your DNA is linking you to me, allowing me to hear your very thoughts."

"Whoa." Mikey let out. "It's like he's psychic or something.

"He is psychic, shell for brains." Donnie told him, smacking him upside the head. "That's what he just said.

"Oh." Mikey realized. "My bad."

As Leo tried punching him again, Falco caught the fist, grabbed a nearby microscope, and used it to knock him to the ground.

"Is that the best you can do?" Falco taunted.

"Oh I'll show you best." Raph called out.

Raph then threw his sai at Falco, which he easily dodged. As Raph ran towards him, Falco pulled the sai out of the wall and used it to hit him upside the head, knocking him out too.

"If that was your best, then you four are in serious need of remedial martial arts lessons."

"You can't get one up on me pal." Mikey taunted. "I'm a master of fighting without thinking."

Falco just chuckled.

"I have a frozen pizza in the break room freezer."

"Ooh really?" Mikey said, perking up. "Where?"

"Come closer, I'll tell you."

Mikey was about to come closer when he realized something.

"Hey wait a minute, you're trying to trick me." he accused. "Using my love a pizza against me? That's a low blow dude, even for-"

As Mikey was talking, Falco snuck up behind him and used the sai to knock him out. That just left Donatello alone against Falco.

"And then there was one." Falco declared, tossing the sai aside.

"Stay back!" Donnie warned, holding out his staff.

"What can you do to stop me?" Falco taunted, stalking forward. "I have the city's entire rat population converging on us as we speak, and I know what you are going to do before you even do it."

Donnie was petrified at the moment. How could he beat someone who could predict his every move before he even made it? That's when he remembered what he and Leo were talking about earlier.

"Find the space between thoughts." he said under his breath.

Falco's eyebrow raised in confusion as he felt Donnie's thoughts die away, making way for a strange silence.

"What in-?"

Before he could finish his thought, Donnie dashed towards him and smacked him across the face with his staff. He stumbled back, clutching his face in surprise.

"How did you-?"

"Try not to think about it." Donnie retorted, smacking him back again.

As Falco tried to recover from the blow, he collided with a work table, knocking over several vials of chemicals, including the canister of mutagen, and a Bunsen burner. The resulting combination of elements caused an explosion that shook the entire building. Falco screamed as he was engulfed in flames.

"What have you done?!" he screeched. "What have you done?!"

Donnie was about to rush out and help him before another explosion blasted him back.

"Donnie!" Leo called out. "We gotta get out of here!"

"We can't leave him here!" Donnie argued

"He's toast D!" Raph yelled back. "And we'll be joining him if we don't haul shell!"

Taking one last look at the flames, Donnie followed his brothers out of the nearest window seconds before the entire building went up in one large, fiery explosion. Once they were clear, a figure beckoned them into the darkness of a nearby alley.

"This way dear fellows." Rockwell's voice called out. "That explosion will have police here in a matter of seconds!"

"Lead the way Rockwell." Mikey replied.

"That's Rockwell?" Leo asked, shocked.

"Long story bro, we'll explain later." Mikey reassured.

With that, the five mutants dashed down the alley, leaving the raging fire in their dust.

…

After a few minutes of running, the group came to a stop a good couple of miles away from the burning lab. As they all caught their breath, Dr. Rockwell patted the turtles on the backs.

"Well done my boys." He told them. "You four managed to prevent that madman from succeeding with his dastardly plan."

"Yeah but your lab is history." Donnie lamented. "As well as all your hard work."

"I can easily start anew." Rockwell replied, waving it off as no big deal. "Frankly I'm just happy to be out of the blasted cage."

"So where will you go now?" Raph asked.

"Honestly… I'm not quite sure." Rockwell admitted. "There aren't that many places for a talking simian like myself."

"What about Mutant Island?" Mikey suggested.

"Where?" Rockwell questioned.

"There's a garbage island on the east river full of mutants seeking refuge from the world." Leo explained. "Tell them the turtles sent you and you'll fit in just fine."

Rockwell smiled.

"I think I'll take you up on your offer." He replied, offering out a hand. "Thank you for everything."

"Don't mention it Rockwell." Leo replied. "Just live your life."

Rockwell nodded and headed off for the island. As he left, the mood of the group died considerably.

"You know," Donnie let out. "I just thought of something."

"What?" Raph asked.

"Falco was able to get every rat in the city to converge on the lab, right?" Donnie asked.

"That's what he said." Leo confirmed.

"Well… anyone else notice a certain rat missing?"

"Yeah..." Mikey said with his head hung low. "Ours..."

….

Back at the lab, the charred body of Victor Falco stretched his arm across the room.

"H-help…. Me…" he let out to seemingly no one.

After a few seconds of nothing, some rats came running out of the fire towards Falco's arm. He took note of this… and smiled.


	28. Into Dimension X

_Hey everyone! Mikey here. We've seen some weird stuff in our time as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and we've dealt with some crazy enemies. Some of the weirdest of all is the Kraang. They're these crazy alien brain blobs who want to mutate our world into a place just like their home dimension of Dimension X. Well, after being dragged here against our wills, I don't see why the Kraang want to leave._

 _Dimension X is off the chain!_

…

In the heart of Dimension X, in a large Kraang facility, several Kraang scientists were in the middle of their latest test of the mutagenic formula. They had with them a large tree plucked from Central Park set up in the center of the lab, and a large mutagen gun aimed right at it.

"Commence with the test that is the test for the new mutagenic formula." One Kraang ordered.

"Commencing with the test with the test for the new mutagenic formula that is required by Kraang." a second Kraang replied.

The Kraang pressed a few buttons on a console and mutagen was poured onto the tree. The entire tree began to morph and change, becoming hard and angular, the leaves falling away and the bark peeling back to reveal dark pink crystals.

"The test that is known as the test for the new mutagenic formula is that which is known as successful." a Kraang observed.

"Kraang is ready for the attempt that is the second attempt on the invasion that is known as the invasion of earth." the second Kraang stated.

"Halt." The first Kraang interrupted. "Kraang is forgetting about the ones called the turtles and how the ones called the turtles foiled the plans that were the plans of Kraang the time that was the time before the current time."

"Kraang is correct." the second Kraang admitted. "Kraang must eliminate the ones called the turtles before Kraang begins the invasion that is known as the invasion of earth."

"But Kraang has tried and failed to destroy the ones called the turtles in that which is known as the past." the first Kraang pondered. "How will Kraang destroy the ones called the turtles now?"

"Perhaps Kraang should consider outsourcing to those that are not Kraang." the second Kraang suggested. "The humans that are known as-"

"Negative!" the first Kraang cut off. "Kraang will not side with humans that are humans. Kraang will seek help from those that are called others."

…

Out in a more remote part of Dimension X, a large black and red salamander-like creature was standing on a floating outcropping of rocks, aiming a large blaster at several smaller rocks out in the endless sea of pink. He shot five times, shattering five rocks one by one, a smile playing on his face.

"Rakka Rakka." He let out.

As he went to re-aim, a Kraang Droid appeared beside him.

"One called K'Vathrak."

The creature turned around to see the Kraang droid.

"What do you want, brain blob?" K'Vathrak asked.

"When one called K'Vathrak came to reside in the place known as this place, one called K'Vathrak promised to complete a favor for Kraang in exchange for being allowed to remain in the place known as this place."

"And what favor would that be?"

"One called K'Vathrak will hunt down the ones called the turtles on the planet known as earth for Kraang." The Kraang explained. "The task will be that which is known as difficult, for the ones called the turtles are that which is known as skilled."

"Those skills won't do much against this." K'Vathrak boasted, before using his blaster to destroy more rocks.

"Then one called K'Vathrak should have none of the problems known as the problems in apprehending the ones called the turtles."

"Indeed I don't, Rakka Rakka." K'Vathrak let out.

…

The general mood in the apartment had fallen considerably since the turtles' last fight. They had fallen behind in their training, spending most of their time inside, watching Justice Force.

 _"Zippy Lad, where are we?"_ The Ring questioned, looking around at a strange world where everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

 _"We're in the Speedy Zone!"_ Zippy lad replied, grinning from ear to ear. _"This is the plane of existence gave me my powers in the first place! I'm practically the king here!"_

 _"Fascinating."_ Silver Sentry admitted. _"And you said your nemesis, Nega-Zip, has entered this reality to steal your power?"_

 _"That's right, but you need to be careful. All laws of motion don't apply here, and unless you know how it works-"_

Seemingly ignoring his warnings, Silver Sentry tried flying, but didn't seem to be going anywhere. Zippy lad shook his head.

 _"Silver Sentry, you can't fly here. You have to run."_

 _"Understood."_ Silver Sentry replied.

He then attempted to run, but ended up going so fast he smacked right into a building. The turtles barely let out a chuckle in response.

"Man," Mikey let out. "You'd think this would be a lot more fun."

"Yeah… I've been curious about this 'Speedy Zone' since season 1, but I'm finding it hard to be interested." Donnie commented.

"It's because the odds of seeing our dad again just dropped down significantly." Raph remarked.

"C'mon guys, we can't just give up." Leo tried, but not even he believed his own words. "Just because Falco couldn't summon him doesn't mean he's… gone. He could just be… unconscious or something."

"Leo, he said he summoned every rat in the city." Donnie argued. "More than that, the mutagen he used made it easier for him to connect to creatures with mutagen in their systems. The chances of him not finding Splinter are astronomical."

"I know it looks bad," Leo admitted. "But just because Splinter is… not here… doesn't mean we should just give up doing what we do. We still have bad guys to fight, and mutagen to track."

"Actually, I've been doing the math, and I believe we've actually collected them all." Donnie reported.

At that moment, Donnie's mutagen tracker started beeping, causing the turtles to turn towards it in confusion.

"Then why is the ooze tracker beeping?" Mikey asked.

"I… have no idea." Donnie answered, picking it up. "But it looks like the canister is close."

"Then come on." Leo called out. "Let's grab it before it does any real damage."

The others nodded and they all headed out towards the scanners indicated location.

…

The turtles finally arrived at an abandoned warehouse, where the tracker was saying a mutagen canister was located.

"You sure this is where the mutagen is Don?" Leo asked, confused.

"According to the tracker yes." Donnie replied. "Though I can't see any possible point of entry it could have entered from, and the Kraang ship was nowhere near this part of town."

"So it's a little off course." Raph remarked. "Big deal. Let's just bag it and tag it."

Raph then leapt down towards the entrance to the building. Reluctantly, the other turtles followed suite. Once inside, the turtles searched through the warehouse, looking for the canister. Finally, Mikey caught sight of their prize.

"Guys look." he called out. "There it is."

"This doesn't make sense." Leo commented as Mikey went over to the canister. "There's no entry point, no broken windows, no cracks on the canister… almost as if… someone planted it here."

"Well given the layout of the room, and the positioning of certain structures," Donnie observed. "If someone was going to spring a trap, it would be right about…"

As they were talking, Mikey tried to pick up the canister. As he picked it up, he saw it was attached to a rope. As the rope was pulled, metal covers dropped over the windows and doors, sealing them inside. The turtles looked around in panic, seeing the trap they found themselves in. Suddenly, they all heard a strange chuckling coming from the shadows. They all turned to see K'Vathrak stepping forward.

"So you are the turtles I've heard so much about." he spoke. "I was kinda hoping for more, Rakka Rakka."

He then held out his arms and began firing his wrist lasers, causing the turtles to scatter.

"What the shell is that supposed to be?" Raph asked, jumping around dodging the blaster fire.

"Looks like some kind of mutant salamander or something." Leo guessed, drawing a sword and blocking some blaster fire.

"With that dexterity?" Donnie asked, dodging the blaster fire. "Obviously it's some kind of Pleurodelinae."

"Oh, of course." Raph replied sarcastically, still dodging the fire. "How dumb of me. Why didn't I think of that?"

"A newt!" Donnie yelled.

Just then K'Vathrak pulled out some kind of razor disk and threw it at the turtles. Donnie quickly ducked under it as it flew towards a wall where Mikey was. Mikey quickly ducked his head into his shell as the disk made contact with the wall.

"Newtralizer is more like it." he commented, poking his head out of his shell.

Leo saw that the disk was beeping and, fearing the worst, charged towards Mikey.

"Look out!" Leo yelled as he tackled Mikey out of the way and the disk exploded.

"Whew." Mikey let out as the two sat up. "Thanks Leo."

As Newtralizer moved in closer, Donnie ran towards him and tried swinging his staff him. Newtralizer then blocked the staff and swung his tail around, hitting him. As Newtralizer turned to face him, Raph jumped onto his back. Newtralizer thrashed around trying to throw the red turtle off. Raph then raised his sai trying to bring it down on his eye. However, Newtralizer caught his hand and threw Raph to the ground. Newtralizer then raised his foot, meaning to bring it down on Raph's head, but Leo and Mikey came up and both kicked him in the chest, causing him to fall on his back. Newtralizer, however, quickly recovered and began opening blaster fire on the two. Leo and Mikey quickly drew sword and Nunchucks alike and began spinning them around, deflecting the blaster fire. Leo jumped onto a box and leapt forward towards Newtralizer, but he grabbed Leo by the head and threw him to the ground. Mikey ran forward swinging his Nunchucks at him, but Newtralizer just grabbed them and used them to slam Mikey into the ground repeatedly. He then stopped and held Mikey up by one nunchaku. The last thing Mikey say before everything went black, was Newtralizer's fist coming for his face.

…

Mikey let out a groan of pain as he regained consciousness. He could see he was in some kind of see through box with his brothers.

"Guys…" he let out, still a little groggy.

"Bout time you woke up bro." Raph remarked.

"You ok Mikey?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah I think so." Mikey replied, rubbing his eyes. "Where are we?"

"No idea." Leo answered. "But wherever we are, we need to get out fast."

Leo began banging against the side of the box, hoping to try and break free. The second he started that, Newtralizer's face came into view.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, rakka rakka." he warned.

"Why now?" Leo asked. "We're not afraid of you."

"It's not me you need to be afraid of."

He hit a small button on the side of the box, and all of a sudden, some sort of poisonous gas began to pour into the box, a gas that the turtles immediately recognized as they tried to expel it from their lungs.

"Warned ya." Newtralizer taunted sealing back up the box.

As the box closed up, the turtles were able to breath easily again.

"Guys, was it just me, or have we choked on that particular cocktail of poisonous gases before?" Donnie questioned, still coughing slightly.

"I think you might be right." Leo agreed before glancing outside the box.

On the other side, he saw a vast expanse of pink that seemed to go on for eternity. The vastness was occasionally broken up by a floating landmass of dark rocks, as well as large technological marvels that would have had Donatello squealing in joy if he didn't recognize the style.

"Oh man dudes," Mikey let out. "I think we're in Detroit."

"Worse Mikey." Donnie corrected. "This is Dimension X."

"Home world of the Kraang." Leo mused. "But why would Newtralizer bring us here?"

"Let's just say I have an old debt to settle with the Kraang." Newtralizer replied. "Once I deliver you to them, I'm off the hook, and you four are rocktapus food, rakka rakka."

"Rocktapus?" Mikey asked.

Newtralizer just chuckled as he pushed the turtles inside a building. Once the large doors shut behind them, they were greeted by a Kraang with some kind of robotic eye and manning an over-sized body.

"Ah K'Vathrak!" the Kraang greeted. "You made it back. And with the turtles no less. You know, i was a little worried you couldn't pull it off, but you shut me up."

"These four creatures were hardly worth my time, Kraang Sub-prime." Newtralizer replied. "Besides, with their capture, I no longer owe anything to the Kraang, and you can leave me to my solitude, rakka rakka."

"Then get outta here!" Kraang Sub-prime yelled. "And don't let the automatic doors close on ya on the way out!"

Newtralizer snorted, then turned and walked out, more than happy to put some distance between him and the Kraang.

"At last, we got you freaks." Kraang Sub-prime mused, turning to the turtles. "For too long, we Kraang have suffered one setback after another at the hands of you mutants."

"Yeah, yeah, we've heard the speeches before." Mikey said, feigning a yawn. "Can we just skip to the part where you yell 'Kraang, take the ones called the turtles away from the place that is this place'?"

Kraang Subprime let out a yell of frustration.

"You do not get to mock Kraang Subprime in such a manner!" he yelled. "Kraang, take the turtles away!"

"Called it!" Mikey cheered before realizing something. "Though you actually speak normally. Why don't the other Kraang talk like you?"

"That is no concern of yours!" Subprime replied. "Mostly because you won't be around to wonder about it any longer."

A group of four Kraang droids came over to the box, surrounding it on all four sides before leading it deeper into the building. The entire time Mikey had been egging Kraang Subprime on, Donnie had been examining the edges of the box, as well as doing some mental calculations in his head. Once they were deep in the building in what looked to be some sort of holding area, Donnie gave a single nod. The four turtles then hit each side of the box with all they had, causing the box to fall apart. As the Kraang droids noticed this, the turtles cut them to pieces, not even giving them a chance to fire their weapons.

"You know, I think these guys are getting easier to beat." Raph remarked, putting away his sai.

"If the Kraang hired Newtralizer to capture us, that means they're up to something big." Leo rationalized. "We just need to know what."

"Uh, one problem dude." Mikey interjected. "We leave this area, and we're choking on toxic Kraang gas again."

Donnie considered this fact, then looked down at the broken Kraang droids. He then knelt down and started rummaging through the parts.

"You know, I've theorized for a long time that the Kraang were able to breathe our atmosphere due to some sort of- ah, found it!"

He pulled out a strange device attached to a long hose.

"Atmosphere converters." Donnie declared, already popping the casing to do some adjustments. "It shouldn't take me more than a minute to reconfigure these so we'll be able to breathe. After that, Dimension X is ours to explore."

With just a little more configuring, Donnie got the atmosphere converters operational. He put one of the hoses in his mouth and handed the remaining three to the others.

"You sure these things are safe Don?" Leo asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure, but we don't have any other options." Donnie reminded him. "Now put them on."

"I am not sticking this thing in my mouth." Raph snapped. "I have no idea where it's been!"

"If we want to figure out what the Kraang are planning, we have to get out there." Leo argued as he placed the hose in his mouth. "So whether you like it or not, we gotta try this."

Raph groaned, then reluctantly stuck the straw in his mouth. Once they were all ready, Donnie approached the door.

"Well…" Donnie let out. "Here goes nothing."

With that, Donnie pressed a button, opening a door to the outside. As the door opened, the air of Dimension X flooded in. All four of them held their breaths, at least until Donnie too an experimental gulp of air. Much to his appreciation, his impromptu breathing apparatuses seemed to be doing their jobs.

"It seems to be working." he observed.

"Great." Leo voiced. "Now let's find the Kraang."

The four made their way out of the building, only to find themselves stranded on a large landmass. There was absolutely nothing within jumping range, and none of them had thought to bring their grappling hooks.

"Great." Raph let out. "Now what?"

Mikey glanced around, then his eyes landed on a strange larvae looking thing. His eyes went wide as he grabbed it.

"Dudes, check this out!"

He held it out for his brothers to see, the strange thing wiggling in his grasp.

"What the shell is that thing?" Raph asked.

"No idea." Mikey admitted. "But it's kinda cute."

He gave it a hug, and was promptly smacked in the face by the strange creature's tongue. He let out a squeal, pulling the tongue off of him. Strangely, when he screamed, the ground seemed to shake slightly.

"Okay… that was creepy." Mikey said as he looked down at the creature, then an idea struck him. "Although..."

He looked over at a large floating landmass across the endless expanse. With a grin, Mikey aimed his new pet's mouth at it and gave it a squeeze. Its tongue shot out once more, connecting with the landmass, much to Mikey's elation.

"Dudes! I've got an idea!"

He then shot towards the landmass like a rocket, being carried by the creature's tongue.

"Check it!" he yelled, landing on the landmass. "Dimension X grappling hook!"

The other turtles stared for a minute.

"I don't know what's weirder, Mikey's idea or the fact that it works." Donnie remarked.

"Whatever the case, it maybe our only means of transport." Leo responded. "Start looking for more of those things."

Just then, Mikey tossed down three more of the creatures to his brothers.

"Found some more up here!" Mikey called out. "Just give them a squeeze! Just make sure the mouths are aimed at where you wanna go."

"You heard him." Leo replied.

The three then pointed the creatures at the land mass where Mikey was and squeezed them, causing their tongues to shoot out. As they connected to the landmass, the turtles sprang forward, meeting up with their brother. Once they landed, Donnie looked around at the world they had entered.

"This place is incredible." he marveled. "There's no sun, no discernable planets, how does anything live here?"

"Yeah, even the trees look weird." Mikey pointed out, gesturing to a large, crystalline tree. "It looks like it's made outta Kraang power cells"

"I think Mikey's right." Donnie observed pulling a crystal off. "This is the same kind of crystal from the Kraang power cell. They must grow here indigenously."

As Donnie was talking, the crystal tree he pulled the crystal from started to glow. Donnie noticed this and he and the others dove out of the way before the tree exploded. Unfortunately, the resulting shockwave was so strong, it sent Mikey tumbling over the side of the landmass.

"Mikey!" the other turtles yelled as they raced to the side.

Suddenly, Mikey's screams started emanating from above them rather than below them. Then, he suddenly crashed down right on top of Raph.

"I'm alive?" Mikey questioned as he patted himself down. "I'm alive!"

"Great." Raph grumbled. "Now get off!"

Raph then shoved Mikey off, causing Mikey to fall off the edge again, and again falling from above on top of Raph.

"You know this is surprisingly addictive to watch." Donnie admitted.

"So happy for you." Raph grumbled as Mikey just stood up this time. "How the heck does that even work?"

"Best guess," Donnie replied. "Different reality, different laws of physics."

"I don't care how it works, but it's definitely cool." Mikey commented. "I don't see why the Kraang want to leave."

"I do." Raph replied. "Their dimension sucks."

"We can submit a review later." Leo interrupted. "Right now, let's get going."

About that time, something strange popped out of the ground behind the group. They all turned, thinking it might have been a Kraang or something. However, it just appeared to be some sort of strange blob with a simple face.

"Mop Mop." It let out.

"Well that's kinda cute." Leo admitted.

"Leo, around here, cute equals bad!" Raph called out.

"Mop Mop." The blob let out again.

"Mop Mop." Leo repeated.

Leo then tickled the creature under its chin, causing it to laugh.

"See? No problems at all." Leo showed off.

The creature then began rising from the ground, or more accurately, rising, taking a large chunk of the ground with it. Leo turned around to see a giant monstrous creature with a giant rock on its forehead looming over them.

"I'm just guessing," Mikey spoke up. "But I think that's a rocktapus."

"Looks like." Raph agreed.

"Run!" Leo yelled.

The four turtles attempted to do just that, only to find their way cut off once more.

"We doomed guys!" Mikey gulped. "Doomed!"

One of the legs of the rocktapus came down hard beside the rock where the turtles were standing. Mikey let out a shrill scream, one that shook the landmass. Mikey noticed this, then grinned.

"I've got another idea!" he shouted. "Guys, lure it to the edge of the landmass!"

"Seriously?" Raph called out. "We're listening to Mikey?!"

"Just do it!" Leo yelled.

Raph relented and they all jumped over the rocktapus so it now stood on the edge. Mikey then took out a deep breath, then screamed as loud as he could. The scream created a shockwave that crumbled the edge of the landmass, causing the rocktapus to fall off. Mikey closed his mouth, grinning as he crossed his arms triumphantly.

"Booyakasha."

"Amazing." Donnie let out. "Much of the terrain in Dimension X must be responsive to sound waves. How did you know that would work?"

"It just seemed obvious." Mikey replied, giving a shrug. "I wonder if it would work for the Kraang crystal trees."

He approached a smaller crystal tree, squinting at it curiously. He tapped his chin, then grinned. He then meowed like a cat, just loud enough for the crystals to glow somewhat. Then, small chunks of crystals chipped off the trees, free floating in space. Mikey grinned and grabbed them.

"Mini Kraang crystals!" he cheered. "I bet they'd make pretty sweet explosives."

"Probably." Leo agreed. "But let's stay on course. We gotta find the Kraang."

"Yeah but this place is so big," Raph reminded. "Where would we even start?"

"I'd say about there." Donnie pointed out.

The other three turned to see a large spherical building with spikes all over it.

"Yeah that seems about right." Leo admitted.

"Well then why are we just standing around?" Raph asked. "Let's go see what's so important that the Kraang felt the need to finally do us in."

Leo nodded and the turtles took off towards the building.

…

After a bit of navigating the terrain, the turtles made it to the landmass where the building was. Unfortunately, the place seemed to be guarded.

"Dudes… That's the rock monster that Leatherhead took out." Mikey hissed.

"Yeah, and it looks like it brought a friend." Raph commented, pointing out the white rock monster standing next to it.

"How the shell are we gonna get past those guys?" Donnie asked.

"Hmm…"Leo pondered before turning to Mikey, "Mikey, still got some of those crystals?"

Mikey grinned, holding up two handfuls.

"Got enough bang rocks to blow this place sky high." Mikey replied.

"Bang rocks?" Raph asked.

"I feel that name is self-explanatory." Mikey remarked.

"We just need to lure those two stone chumps over here so we can blow em to kingdom come." Leo continued.

"You got it bro." Mikey responded.

Mikey jumped in front of the two rock monsters, waving his arms about.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Traag! Granitor! That's right, I just named you, and you're stuck with the names now!"

The two rock creatures then started moving towards him, Traag spewing lava and Granitor breathing blue fire. Mikey then started back flipping out of the way, leaving a trail of bang rocks as he did so. As he landed at the edge, the two monsters stood over him, ready to finish him off. Mikey then let out a massive scream, igniting the bang rocks. Thinking fast, Mikey jumped onto Traag's knee, then onto his shoulder before using one of the creatures he had earlier to shoot out its tongue and ride away as the two fell off the landmass. He landed in front of his brothers, grinning.

"Dudes, I am loving Dimension X!"

"You do seem to adapt quite nicely here." Donnie admitted.

"What can I say," he replied. "In backwards crazy town, backwards crazy guy is king."

"Oh brother." Raph remarked, face palming.

"Come on, we have to find out what the Kraang are up to." Leo interrupted.

The turtles then made their way inside the complex.

…

Inside the building, the turtles stealthily moved throughout the place, sticking to what little shadows there were. As they finally reached the center of the building, they were shocked to see that the entire room was filled with thousands upon thousands of canisters of mutagen, as well as one of the crystal trees in the dead center of the room.

"Whoa." Mikey let out. "That's a lot of mutagen."

"Yeah, but why do they need it for?" Leo asked.

"To plan their Kraang sweet sixteen birthday party." Donnie replied in an over the top fashion. "How am I supposed to know?!"

Just then, several doors opened, revealing hundreds of Kraang droids marching out. At the head was Kraang Subprime, who was looking more than pleased with himself.

"Kraang!" He declared. "The time has finally come! After 1,000 years of planning, our endgame is at long last at hand! The mutagen is finally ready, and the invasion of earth is upon us! With the blasted turtles finally done away with, nothing can stop us now! For the glory of Kraang!"

"Kraang!" all the Kraang shouted.

The turtles immediately became very worried.

"So that's why they wanted us out of the way." Leo deduced. "They've finally perfected the mutagen and are ready to invade earth."

"They're gonna turn our world into Dimension X." Donnie added.

"So I'll be super smart there too?" Mikey asked, getting looks from his brothers. "What? Just trying to think positive."

"Well thank you Mikey." Donnie replied sarcastically. "Thank you for finding the one mildly positive thing on a pile of ten billion screaming nightmares!"

"What's the plan Leo?" Raph questioned, ignoring the other two turtles.

"See that crystal tree down there?" Leo pointed out. "If we can get it to light up, it could take this whole facility up with it."

"And all the perfected mutagen." Donnie pieced together. "We just need a way to get back to earth."

"I think the Kraang have that already covered." Mikey said, pointing down to Kraang Subprime.

Kraang Subprime stood before a large console, hitting several buttons and filling the room with large portals.

"And now," Kraang Sub-prime declared, raising his tentacles. "Let the invasion begin!"

"Fat chance bubblicious!" Mikey shouted.

The Kraang all looked up to see the turtles leaping down towards them. As soon as they hit the ground, the turtles drew their weapons and started plowing through the Kraang. Kraang subprime let out a shrill scream of indignation, then slammed his droid's hand down on a holographic communication network.

"K'Vathrak!" he screamed.

Through the array, Newtralizer looked up, a half cleaned gun in his hands.

 _"What is it Subprime?"_ He asked in an annoyed tone.

"The turtles are ruining our plans!" Subprime shrieked. "I thought we hired you to make sure that didn't happen!"

 _"You hired me to capture the turtles, which I did."_ Newtralizer replied coolly. _"It's not my fault your soldiers couldn't hold them."_

"Get over here and clean up your mess!" Subprime demanded. "You still owe us!"

Newtralizer growled.

 _"You released me from my debt when I brought you the turtles. I don't owe you anything, rakka rakka."_

Subprime let out a growl of frustration at that.

"What if we were to reward you for the turtle final destruction?" Subprime offered.

Newtralizer has been seconds from hanging up when Subprime said this. He paused, then turned back to the Kraang.

 _"How much are we talking?"_

"50,000 zemulaks."

Newtralizer grinned.

 _"I'll be right there."_

Back at the battle, Leo and Raph were slashing and stabbing away at and visible Kraang droids.

"Donnie!" Leo called out. "We need those portals down, now!"

"I'm working on it!" Donnie called back, trying to work the controls.

"Well work faster!" Raph exclaimed, bashing a Kraang droid aside with the butt of his sai. "These Kraang are coming out of the freakin' woodwork!"

"It's not like mastering alien technology is easy you know!" Donnie yelled back

As Donnie tried working to close the portals, all he did was convert them into random shapes, like circles, stars, and at one point, even a flower.

"Oh come on!" Donnie yelled.

Mikey came over, shoving his brother aside.

"Dude, you are taking way too long!"

Mikey then began just randomly slapping his hands against various buttons and switches, not even looking half the time.

"Mikey cut that out!" Donnie yelled. "That's not gonna-"

Finally, he slammed his hand down on a large red button, which not only returned the portals to their usual triangular shape, but it also closed all of them but one. Donnie's jaw dropped as Mikey blew on the tips of his fingers, shining them against his plastron.

"You were saying Don?"

"I stand corrected." Donnie admitted.

Leo noticed the sudden disappearance of the portals and quickly turned to Raph.

"It's time to go!" he shouted. "Head for the portal!"

As they started heading that way, Newtralizer came from out of nowhere and landed in front of the turtles

"Not so fast reptiles." he said.

"Oh geez, Newtralizer!" Mikey let out.

"Newtralizer..." The salamander repeated, rolling the word around on his tongue. "I like it. You'll die last."

"Oh thanks." Mikey replied, before realizing the exact words. "Hey!"

Newtralizer leveled his gun with Raph, preparing to shoot him. Raph quickly jumped out of the way of the blast, letting it strike a Kraang instead. Newtralizer roared as he continued firing his gun at the turtles. Raph quickly threw a sai at the barrel of the gun, causing it to blow up in his face. Leo quickly ran towards him and leapt up in the air, kicking him in the face repeatedly. Before Newtralizer could smash him, Leo rolled out of the way. Donnie then ran up and struck him in the face with his staff. Newtralizer stumbled back a bit as Mikey ran up and backflip kicked him, causing him to fall onto his back.

"Man I'm getting a real kick out of this." Mikey joked.

"Mikey!" Leo called out. "Let's get moving!"

Mikey nodded and started heading towards the portal.

"You'll go nowhere!" Kraang Subprime yelled, running towards them and sprouting buzz saws on his hands.

Subprime then brought his saw hands down on them, but the turtles dodged them just in time. Subprime then swung his saw hands at Leo, but he quickly brought his sword up to block them. As Leo clashed with Subprime, Raph jumped on top of him and jammed his sai into his shoulders. Subprime saw this and after shoving Leo away, grabbed Raph and threw him off. Subprime then extended his arm, revealing elbow missiles. He then shot them out at the turtles. Donnie quickly reacted by batting one of the missiles with his staff, right back at Subprime. As Subprime fell over from the explosion, the turtles made their way through the portal, and Mikey jumped onto the tree, grabbing a rather large branch.

"Booyakasha mother Kraangers!" he shouted,

He snapped the branch off and threw it at the Kraang as he leapt towards the portal. As he went through the portal, the tree blew up, the explosion carrying through the portal as it closed behind them, depositing them on the roof of a building in downtown New York.

"Well that was fun." Raph remarked.

"And effective to." Donnie added. "That explosion should set the Kraang invasion back weeks, if not months."

The turtles high threed each other in triumph, then Leo caught sight of a digital clock hanging from a sign in front of a bank.

"Umm, guys?" he called out. "You might want to see this."

The turtles looked in the direction Leo was looking and saw the time on the clock.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it 10:53 when we left?" Leo asked.

"It was..." Donnie replied. "We've been gone for hours, but only a handful of seconds have gone by. Time must move faster in Dimension X. It must be some kind of temporal differential."

"You mean like different time zones on the planet?" Mikey asked.

"... yeah something like that." Donnie replied.

"So if we set the invasion back months in Dimension X…" Leo began to ask.

"Here it would be… a few days." Donnie answered. "Maybe a week."

"Then we got work to do." Leo declared.


	29. What Goes Around, Comes Around

_My name is Leonardo, and throughout our days fighting the forces of evil in New York, my brothers and I have made numerous mistakes. Some can be brushed aside, others have hurt our friends and family. I've made one of those mistakes recently, and I'm dead-set on making it right._

 _Of course, considering the army of Foot Ninja in my way, with each member determined to make sure I don't walk away, I'll be lucky if I even make it out alive._

...

It was a brisk day in New York City and a fresh blanket of snow had just fallen upon it. The turtles didn't seem to notice however. They were currently gathered around the kitchen table in the apartment, wasting no time as they tried to come up with a plan to combat the oncoming Kraang Invasion.

"Alright guys," Leo spoke. "The Kraang are gearing up for invasion, and we need to stop them."

"How?" Mikey asked.

"What about that disruptor thing we tried to use on the portal?" Raph suggested.

"Well I salvaged the parts for it, but they're back at the lair." Donnie explained. "Though if we could sneak in and get them, I suppose I could fix it."

"There." Raph declared. "We fix up the disruptor, head back to Dimension X, and blow them to kingdom come for good this time."

"We tried that before, remember? It just set them back." Leo countered. "Besides, how would we even get back?"

Raph grumbled, then crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Well I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas Leo." he snapped.

"Well I have one actually." Leo countered. "We need to collect our allies. Casey, the frogs, Muckman, Mondo Gecko, Lisa, everyone. And then we need to establish a second base outside the city."

"We're running away?!" Raph yelled, standing up.

"It's not running away Raph." Leo countered. "It's having a secondary headquarters for if and when things go south. We don't know the extent of the Kraang invasion force and we need to be ready to fall back with a worst case scenario."

"Oh so, that's the plan from our great leader, huh?" Raph replied sarcastically. "Just run off with our tails between our legs like a bunch of cowards!"

"I never said I was your great leader-" Leo tried to explain.

"Well you've sure been acting like it lately!" Raph cut off.

Both Donnie and Mikey groaned.

"Fight?" Mikey asked.

"Fight." Donnie agreed.

"Kitchen?" Mikey suggested, gesturing towards it with his thumb.

"Kitchen." Donnie replied with a nod.

The two turtles slipped away as the other two continued their argument.

"With Splinter missing, someone's gotta step up around here!" Leo replied.

"And it's you?" Raph asked.

"Oh what, like you could do a better job?" Leo retorted.

"Oh yeah, and why not?!" Raph exclaimed.

"Well let's see," Leo responded. "You're impatient, and hot tempered, and you have a serious attitude problem that isn't helping anything!"

"Yeah?!" Raph asked.

"Yeah!" Leo replied.

"Well maybe I'll just take my attitude and leave!" Raph told him, storming towards the window.

"I wish you would!" Leo called back.

"Then I will!" Raph exclaimed.

"Good!" Leo replied

"Great!" Raph responded.

"Go ahead!" Leo yelled as Raph jumped out the window. "We don't need you!"

From in the kitchen, both Donnie and Mikey winced, the latter stuffing his face with pork rinds.

"Well that escalated quickly." Donnie remarked.

Mikey held out the bag to Donnie.

"Pork rind?" he offered.

Donnie just shrugged.

"Pork rind." he replied, taking the bag.

…

Raph continued running for several blocks. He didn't know what direction he was going, or how long he was running. As he landed on the next building, his foot slipped on a patch of snow, causing him to fall onto his shell. As he got to his feet, he kicked the snow in frustration.

"Damn!" he let out.

Raph just continued walking across the roof, performing a series of martial arts kicks as he did so. As he made his way to the edge of the roof, some kind of reflective light hit him in the face. He covered his eyes trying to block it before glancing out trying to see where it was coming from. He saw Casey Jones sitting on a fire escape on the building next door aiming a mirror at him.

"Keep that up, and your temper will melt all the snow." He remarked.

"Casey?" Raph let out. "What the shell are you doing here?"

"I live here sewer brain." Casey replied.

Raph looked around to see he was across from an apartment complex.

"Huh." Raph let out. "Guess I was in a haze. Didn't know where I was going."

"I noticed." Casey remarked. "Something bothering you?"

"You might say that." Raph replied.

"Want to talk about it while busting some Purple Dragons?" Casey asked, pulling out a hockey stick.

Raph smirked at the prospect.

"I could stand to blow off some steam." Raph remarked pulling out and spinning his sai.

…

Back at the apartment, Mikey and Donnie were watching some TV while Leo was just leaning against a wall. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Donnie got up and went to the door to see who it was. Seeing that it was April, Donnie opened the door and let her in.

"Hey April." Donnie greeted.

"Hey Don." April greeted back, carrying several bags of groceries. "Got another batch of groceries for you."

"Thanks again for this." Donnie responded.

"Hey, forget about it." She dismissed. "I also got those road maps Leo asked for. Are you guys planning on going somewhere?"

"Just preparing for the worst." Donnie replied.

"I can't believe this!" Mikey let out, causing April and Donnie to turn in his direction.

"Game getting you down bro?" Donnie asked.

"Games fine Don, it's the players that are bugging me." Mikey berated. "They got Panthers, Rams, Bears, shell they even got Dolphins. Can't they show some love for a few reptiles?"

"What, the turtles?" April asked.

"Why not?" Mikey replied. "We're mean, we're green, and we've got a shell like nobody's business. Hook a turtle up!"

"As favorable as that would be dear Michelangelo," Donnie admitted. "I'm afraid that the lonely turtle has been saddled by society with the stereotype of being velocity challenged."

Mikey just gave a blank stare in confusion.

"What?" He let out.

"He means people think turtles are slow." April clarified.

"Oh." Mikey let out, before considering their words. "Hey! That's a hurtful stereotype!"

"Hey, I know that," April replied. "But most people don't."

"That's still unfair." Mikey let out before turning to Leo. "Hey Leo! Do you think it's fair to exclude turtles as football teams because they're slow?"

"I don't know… why do we need Raph anyway?" Leo replied, ignoring the question completely. "His hotheadedness always put our missions at risk."

"Uh… sure Leo," Donnie replied coyly. "None of us were talking about him."

"Something happen between him and Raph? Again?" April asked.

"Just another standard Leonardo and Raphael dispute." Donnie explained.

"The Kraang are planning to make their move." Leo explained. "Raph wants to fight them head on while I think it be safer to get our friends and seek refuge outside the city."

"And let me guess, you two blew up about it and he stormed off." April surmised.

"Pretty much." Leo confirmed. "If Raph wants to get himself killed trying to win an impossible fight, he can be my guest."

April crossed her arms, giving the blue turtle an incredulous look.

"Do you honestly believe that?" She asked.

Leo didn't know how to respond.

"Look Leo, I know you and Raph don't see eye to eye, but even I can see where he's coming from on this one." She admitted. "Master Splinter is still out there somewhere, no matter what that Falco guy told you, and Raph believes that as long as you're in New York, you'll be able to find him."

"I know he's out there too." Leo replied. "But I also know Splinter would want us to be smart about this situation."

"Including staying as a team and watching each other's backs?" April asked, a knowing tone to her voice.

"Yeah dude." Mikey agreed. "Aren't you the one who said that if we're gonna survive out here we need to stick together as a team?"

Leo paused for a moment before letting out a sigh of defeat.

"I guess you guys are right." Leo relented. "I'll go find him and apologize."

"Want us to come with you?" Donnie asked as Leo went towards the window.

"No, you stay here in case he doubles back." Leo told him.

With that, Leo leapt out the window and started across the rooftops.

…

Out in the city, Leo continued dashing and leaping across the rooftops, so far having no luck in locating Raphael. As he landed on a rooftop and stopped to catch his breath, he thought he saw the tails of a ninja mask dash behind a roof entrance. Thinking it was Raph, he ran over to it. As he rounded the corner though, he was shocked to see it was three Foot Ninjas, standing at the ready with their swords drawn.

Leo then drew one of his own swords and took a fighting stance. One of the Foot Ninja leapt at him, trying to bring his sword down on him. Leo quickly brought his sword up to block it and kicked the ninja in the stomach, sending him into the other two. A second Foot Ninja ducked under his oncoming ally and dashed towards Leo. He swung his sword at the blue turtle several times, but Leo quickly blocked each attack. After locking blades with the ninja, Leo used a free hand to grab the ninja by the shoulder and slammed him into the brick entrance.

Leo then turned back to the final Foot Ninja and readied himself for another fight, the ninja twisted his sword a bit, showing Leo's reflection on the blade, before twisting it back to where it was. Leo looked confused for a moment before looking to the top of the brick entrance to see three more Foot Ninja staring him down. Leo quickly back flipped out of the way as the three new contenders leapt to the ground. Letting out a growl of frustration, Leo pulled out his other sword and charged into battle

…

Raph and Casey had found a bunch of purple dragons in a back alley, a bag of spray paint in front of them and a wall of graffiti before them. After dropping down and beginning their usual bashing sessions, Raph explained to Casey everything that had transpired earlier.

"So the Kraang are preparing to invade," Raph explained bashing a punk with the blunt end of his sai. "And I'm wanting us to stand our ground. But what does the mighty and powerful Leonardo want to do? Run away when the city needs us!"

"You sure that's his plan?" Casey questioned, tripping up a punk with his stick.

"What do you mean?" Raph asked, kicking a punk in the face.

"I mean, Leo's a lot of things, but a coward ain't one of them." Casey argued. "He's a… what's the word…? A tactician. He plans for the worst, and if the Kraang are invading, I think the worst is closing in fast."

"Yeah well…" Raph tried to reply. "Would it kill him to even try and come up with a plan to fight them off?"

"I'm pretty sure he was working on one before ya blew up on him." Casey retorted. "But having a back-up plan never hurts, especially with how well your turtle luck's been these past few weeks."

"That's an understatement." Raph remarked.

"Exactly." Casey said, whacking the last dragon in between the legs. "Look, I'm all for bashing skulls and squishing brain blobs, but we ain't talking 'bout a couple Kraang droids walking down Main Street. We're talkin' an invasion. Leo just wants to keep his family safe, that's all."

"Yeah…"

Casey noticed Raph's pause.

"Ah, now we're getting to the problem." Casey realized. "It isn't just leaving the city is it? It's about Splinter."

Raph sighed in response.

"He's still out there, hurt or worse, we don't know." Raph declared. "If we leave the city..."

"You're afraid you ain't gonna see him again." Casey deduced.

Raph's fists clenched and his eyes slammed shut, fighting back tears of frustration and fear that threatened to spill out.

"Hey I get it, I miss my dad too." Casey shared. "But you still got family with you right now, and it sounds like Leo wants to keep what he's got in one piece. And if you ask me, I'll be he misses Splinter too."

Raph glanced at the ground, thinking about what Casey had said.

"You may be right…" Raph let out.

"Hey I'm not telling you what to do," Casey replied. "I'm just saying, if it was my brother, I'd try and work it out."

Raph let out a sigh before smiling at Casey, realizing how right he was.

"When did you get so smart?" Raph asked with a wry grin.

Casey just shrugged.

"What can I say? Maybe April's been rubbing off on me."

Raph chuckled a bit.

"Thanks for the talk Cas." Raph called out as he leapt up onto a nearby fire escape. "If you'll excuse me, I've got some reconciling to do."

Casey just grinned as the red turtle ascended up towards the rooftops.

…

Back with Leo, he was not having a good time at the moment. He was currently using both sword to block blade attacks from two different Foot Ninja at once. While he was doing that, a third Foot Ninja was running towards him, sword at the ready. Thinking fast, Leo shoved the two Foot Ninja away and leapt into the air as the third one approached. He landed on the ninja's back, causing him to plop to the ground as the other two sprinted towards him. Leo then ducked, grabbed them by the shirts, and brought their heads together, knocking them out. Leo then eyed the fourth one coming towards him. He dropped the two ninjas and put his swords away before running towards him. Leo then leapt into the air and kicked the ninja in the head knocking him out as he hit the floor.

Leo paused for a moment and rested his hands on his knees, breathing in and out quite heavily. After a minute, Leo ran towards the edge of the roof and leapt to the next one. Just as he landed however, some unseen force knocked him onto his shell and sliding across the roof. As Leo got up, he was greeted by the unwelcoming sight of Bebop and Rocksteady. Both chuckling maliciously, and both seeming to be itching for a fight.

Getting back to his feet, Leo pulled out a sword and took up a fighting stance. The two mutants wasted no time running towards the blue turtle. Leo thought fast and ran towards them. Leo then got to his knees, sliding under the attack and cutting Bebop on the leg. The mutant warthog cried out in pain as Leo got to his feet. Bebop quickly turned around and punched Leo in the face, sending him crashing into an AC unit. Leo shook his head in pain as he saw Bebop and Rocksteady coming towards him again. Leo quickly got back to his feet and prepared himself for the oncoming battle.

…

Back at the apartment, Mikey had lost interest in the football game after his discovery of the lack of reptilian mascots. He had gone rummaging through Kirby's stuff, emerging with a single videotape.

"Is that the final episode of Justice Force?" Donnie asked.

"Yup." Mikey confirmed. "The one where their arch-nemesis, Lord Dregg returns, and infiltrates the Justice-Tower! I'm so excited."

"You know Leo and Raph are gonna be ticked you watched that without them." Donnie reminded.

"Yeah, especially Leo." Raph's voice declared from the window. "He'd probably have you doing katas for a month."

"Yay, Raph's back." Donnie replied sarcastically.

"You cool now bro?" Mikey asked.

"I'm always cool." Raph replied plopping down on the couch next to him.

"Cool but crude if you ask me." Donnie remarked.

"Give me a break, Don." Raph replied before noticing his missing brother. "Speaking of Leo, where is he?"

"You mean he isn't with you?" Mikey asked.

"He was here last I checked." Raph answered.

"He went out to look for you." Donnie informed.

"Well if he doesn't hurry back soon, he's gonna be in trouble." April voiced looking out the window as the sky began to darken. "Looks like a storm's coming."

…

The fight at hand was proving arduous. Leo had faced the two mutants before, but never by himself. He seemed to be doing well though, being fast enough to avoid their attacks and deliver a few quick kicks of his own. As Leo tried bringing his sword down on Rocksteady, the mutant rhino caught his hand. He then dealt Leo a massive punch that caused him to drop his sword and send him flying across the street. Leo then collided with the fire escape in an alleyway before falling into the dumpster below. Leo slowly got to his hands and knees, trying to pick himself up. As he looked up, he saw the two mutants standing at the edge of the roof, with Hun walking up and joining them. Feeling he was now in over his head, Leo got out of the dumpster and ran down the alley. As he continued running, he came up to a wooden fence. He quickly jumped over it and saw he was in the middle of some kind of construction site. Tall wooden fences blocked off a deep stone trench, no doubt the beginnings of some sub-basement level of the unfinished building. Stacks of girders were scattered about the sight, and a jungle gym of them towered above him.

Leo observed his surroundings as he tried to catch his breath, a light snowfall beginning to cover the scenery in powdery white. As he took a step forward, an arrow landed at his feet. Leo looked up to see several more Foot Ninja armed with bows and arrows, and with Nakumo and Karai leading them. Karai gave Leo a smirk, then raised her arm. When she brought it down, the foot unleashed a volley of arrows onto the blue turtle. Leo quickly back flipped out of the way of most of them and pulled out his remaining sword to slice some others. He then quickly rolled out of the way towards a fence as more came down. As he stood up, a chain came out of nowhere and wrapped around his wrist. The chain then pulled Leo across the ground, leaving him hanging on the fence. As he tried to pull himself free a Foot Ninja ran up and kicked him through the fence, causing him to land on some scaffolding around the trench. As he picked himself up, he saw several more Foot Ninja landing on the scaffolding, all of them looking ready to take him out. Leo then quickly readied his sword and charged into battle once more.

…

April sat by the window of the apartment, watching as the snow began falling faster and harder, blanketing the city in a sheet of white. Donnie noticed this and walked over to her.

"You ok April?" He asked.

"I'm worried about Leo." she replied. "The temperature's dropping fast, and I think I read somewhere that turtles are cold blooded. Won't the cold affect him more than the average New Yorker?"

"Probably," Donnie admitted. "But Leo's smart. He's probably found somewhere to weather out the storm."

Mikey meanwhile was pacing across the apartment, trying to call Leo on his shell cell.

"He's not picking up." Mikey reported. "Think we should be concerned now."

"In this weather, it's more than likely cell service wouldn't be working." Donnie replied.

"You guys seem to be pretty nonchalant about all this." April noticed. "I thought you guys would be more worried about this."

"If it were anybody else, we would be." Raph admitted. "But you gotta understand, when Leo sets his mind to something, nothin stops him. He always finds a way through no matter what."

"Still, if he doesn't show up in the next… half hour or so, then we can start looking for him." Donnie decided.

"Sure hope he's ok." Mikey let out, looking out the window.

…

The Foot ninja were pouring in from every direction, Leo was having a hard time keeping them back. He shoved one away, causing him to fall into the trench. He then performed a massive spin kick, taking out three at once. As he noticed one leaping at him from behind, he rolled backwards, causing him to miss, and kicked him into the fence, knocking him out.

Leo was about to pause for a moment when a stray kick hit him in the head and cause him to tumble down into the trench and into a pool of water at the bottom. After a minute, he grabbed onto a spare platform and pulled himself out. Once he got out of the water, he laid on his shell for a minute, his breath condensing above him as the cold began to penetrate his shell. After a minute, he grabbed his sword and got back to his feet. Suddenly, a strange sound rang out from above him. He looked up to see a massive cloud of smoke dissipating. From that smoke emerged four individuals each dressed in red capes, metal masks that covered all except seemingly red eyes, bowl hats, and each brandishing their own unique weapon. A spear, an axe, a trident, and a double blade sword. Leo didn't know it at the time, but he was face to face with the elite guard of the Shredder.

Leo was taken aback by the sudden appearance of these new Foot Soldiers, and he could feel the malicious aura practically cascading off of them. Another cloud of smoke engulfed the elite warriors. As the smoke cleared, they were nowhere to be seen. As Leo backed away in shock, four clouds of smoke appeared around him, each revealing an elite warrior. They wasted no time pressing their attack on the turtle. Being one sword down and profusely exhausted, the odds were not in Leo's favor. He was able to block a good portion of the attacks, but several cuts and minor stabs found their way in.

On a platform above them, Nakumo, Karai, Hun, Bebop, and Rocksteady were watching the action and taking great pleasure in see the blue turtle suffer.

Back down below, Leo was now reduced to swinging his sword wildly, hoping that one strike would take at least one of these guys out. No such luck came however. In fact, the axe elite was able to knock the sword out of his hands and kick him to the ground. As the axe elite was about to bring his weapon down on him, Leo quickly jumped out of the way and delivered a kick to the head, knocking him out. The trident elite tried thrusting his weapon forward, but Leo caught it by the handle and flipped him over, causing the elite to fly through the air and hit the ground with a thud. Leo then threw the trident at the remaining two elites, pinning their arms to the wall.

Feeling frustrated, Nakumo motioned his hand forward, signaling Bebop, Rocksteady, and Hun to leap down, as they landed, Hun punched Leo in the face knocking him to the ground. Bebop and Rocksteady then proceeded to kick the turtle while he was down. Finally having enough, he grabbed Bebop by the nose ring and kicked him in the neck, causing him to tumble back. Rocksteady tried punching him, but Leo just dashed around him, jumped onto his back and grabbed him by the ears. After thrashing around for a while, Leo leapt off onto a nearby pipe. He then sprang off and kicked him in the face. Hun let out a growl before running towards him. Leo then let out a massive yell before rolling forward and kicking Hun in the face knocking him down. Leo then got back to his feet and turned to the remaining Foot left, breathing heavily as though he were struggling to stay away. Nakumo and Karai were taken aback by his display of strength, but what they saw next but smiles right back on their faces. Leo raised an eyebrow at this before hearing something landing behind him. He quickly turned around to face it, but what he saw terrified him to his very core.

"No…" he let out.

Before he could act, a claw sprang out and slashed at him, causing him to cry out in agony.

…

Raph suddenly stood up surprising everyone.

"That's it." He declared out of the blue. "I'm gonna look for Leo."

"I agree." Donnie concurred. "It's been way too long. He should have checked in by now."

"Then why are we just standing around here?" Mikey asked. "I wanted to go searching half an hour ago!"

"April, mind staying here in case he comes back?" Donnie asked.

April gave him a nod.

"Go find your brother." she told him. "I just hope he's alright."

"Hopefully he'll just need a little defrosting." Donnie guessed. "He shouldn't be in too much-"

Before Donnie could even finish his thought, a massive crash rang out throughout the apartment. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as the turtles and April turned to see a battered Leonardo crash through the window. The only thing that seemed to break this trance was Leo's shell colliding with a nearby coffee table, smashing it to pieces as he hit the ground. The turtles wasted no time rushing over to their fallen brother.

"Leo!" They all let out.

"Oh my gosh." April responded, panicking. "Is… is he…"

"No." Donnie replied, checking him over. "Breathings shallow and pulse is weak, but he's alive. Barely."

"Dudes, his shell is cracked." Mikey pointed out.

Raph let out a growl of infuriation before pulling out his sai.

"I'm gonna go find out who did this." he said making his way to the window.

Donnie quickly got up and stood in his way.

"What? So you can end up worse than him?" Donnie asked.

"Out of my way, Don." Raph challenged.

"No…" Leo let out in a raspy voice. "Raph… wait…"

Forgetting their argument, Donnie and Raph rushed back to their brother's side.

"I'm right here bro." Raph told him. "I'm right here next to you."

Leo mustered what strength he had left to lean forward towards his brothers. What he said next mortified them beyond anything they could have imagine.

"H-he's back… the sh… Shredder..."

With those final words, Leo slipped into unconsciousness, leaving the turtles and April more terrified than they had ever been. Things may have been bad for the turtles in the past, but it seems the worst had yet to come.

…

 _Splinter's fight with the Foot Ninja stretched through many tunnels in the sewers. Just as he believed them all to be defeated, several more took their place. He used his sword to block the oncoming attack of one Foot soldier before punching him in the face, leaving him to face down two more. Suddenly, he thought he heard something from behind him. He turned around in time to see two more Foot Ninjas tackle him to the ground, causing him to drop his sword. As the Foot Ninjas forced him up, Splinter saw the other two hold their swords overhead, ready to bring them down on him and end him._

 _"Hold!" a voice called out._

 _The Foot Ninjas lowered their weapons and turned in the direction the voice came from. Splinter looked to see a figure in the shadows._

 _"None may slay the rat but me." the figure commanded as he stepped forward._

 _As the figure stepped into the light, Splinter's eyes went wide when it was revealed who it was; the Shredder._

 _"You?" Splinter let out. "But you were defeated. This is impossible."_

 _"Nothing is impossible to me, 'rodent'." Shredder threw back before turning to his Foot Ninja. "Return to the lair and wait for the turtles to return. Destroy them."_

 _The Foot Ninja bowed in response as the let Splinter drop to the ground and dashed down the tunnels, leaving the former friends alone._

 _"I suppose this is fitting Li." Shredder remarked. "You are a rat who has been caught in my trap."_

 _"You think this attack strategy?" Splinter asked getting to his feet. "It is nothing but a cowardly gambit. Attacking me in my own home, wearing me down by sheer numbers. It is not the way of the true warrior!"_

 _"Over the years I have learned that conflict is won by the warrior willing to do what his opponent is not." Shredder retorted. "And we both know there is nothing I won't do to end you and your 'family'."_

 _"This doesn't have to be this way Saki." Splinter tried to reason. "We were brothers once. Friends. We fought side by side. It could be that way again."_

 _"You think I wanted this?" Shredder responded. "To hunt down my best friend? You are the one who made this happen! You chose to protect your murder of a master instead of helping me!"_

 _"What happened between Nagi and Yoshi wasn't out of malice!" Splinter tried to explain. "His death wasn't predetermined. Yoshi was only trying to defend someone he loved. I have tried to tell you this before, but you wouldn't listen. Hatred had already consumed you. You sought nothing but death and destruction. You took everything that I loved. Everything! Yet you still chose to hunt me down?!"_

 _"Yes!" Shredder shouted. "As long as you and those turtles live, the influence of Hamato Yoshi still thrives. An influence I swore to snuff out no matter the cost. I will never tire, I will never show mercy, and I will never stop until each and every one of you are DEAD!"_

 _Splinter let out a sigh of resentment._

 _"Then, I will fight you now." Splinter declared. "To end this!"_

 _With that the two opponents charged forward, determined to end this fight once and for all._


	30. The Shredder Strikes Back

_My name is Raphael, and I feel that today pretty much caps off the rotten string of luck me and my bros have been having. Ya see, Leo and I got into a huge fight over how to handle the oncoming Kraang Invasion. To sum things up, it ended badly and I stormed out. What I didn't know was that Leo had gone after me to try and apologies not long after. And while I was shooting the breeze with my man Casey Jones, Leo was bein' ambushed by the whole freakin Foot Clan. I went home after calming down, but Leo had a more… abrupt return._

 _And by abrupt, I mean being freakin' tossed through the window lookin like shell. You'd think that be bad enough, but his bloody return was attached with a message that had us all terrified out of our shells._

 _"H-he's… Back… The sh… Shredder..."_

 _You know, I used to think we'd been through the worst the world could throw at us lately, now I see that the worst was yet to come._

...

To say that the group was shocked was an understatement. Out of all the turtles, Leonardo was the one that they could always rely in a pinch, and now he was lying on April's rug, groaning in pain. As if that wasn't bad enough, his last words before passing out were still ringing through their heads.

"He didn't say that." April said. "Tell me he didn't just say that."

"He said it." Mikey replied. "The Shredder's back."

"But that's impossible." Donnie insisted. "He was crushed under a giant mechanical eyeball, not to mention the Technodrome sank into the river. If the eyeball didn't crush him, water pressure or drowning would have. No human could survive that."

"We ain't dealing with any human Don." Raph reminded. "This is the Shredder we're talking about here."

"This is just like in Justice Force." Mikey thought out loud. "The bad guy always come back from the dead for revenge. Always!"

"Guys, if they tossed Leo in here, doesn't that mean they know where we are?" April surmised.

"Right," Donnie concurred. "We need to get out of here."

"We need a plan." Mikey stated. "Who's got a plan? Leo's usually the one with the plan." Mikey then grabbed Don's shoulders and started shaking him violently. "So what are we gonna do without Leo to come up with a plan?!"

"I don't know!" Donnie declared shoving Mikey's arms off.

"No time for a plan." Raph decided, drawing both his sai.

"What makes you say that?" April questioned.

She barely had time to finish her question before all the windows of her apartment exploded inward, bringing with them entire hordes of Foot Ninja.

"Oh." She said softly. "That."

Donnie and Mikey quickly drew their own weapons and prepared to engage the Foot. Raph quickly blocked a sword strike with his sai and kicked the ninja in the chest. He then ducked under another sword strike uppercutted the ninja with the blunt end of both his sai. He then kicked another oncoming ninja, causing him to collide with the couch.

Mikey was spinning his nunchaku wildly, smacking any ninja that came close. Normally he'd be quick with a few quick-witted quips. However, given the severity of their situation, he decided that now wasn't the time. He then quickly held up his Nunchucks to block a sword strike with the chains. He then quickly kicked him away.

Donnie blocked one sword strike with one end of his staff and quickly brought up the other end to block another. Thinking fast, Donnie eased up on one side, causing the ninja to fall to the ground. Donnie then proceeded to kick the other ninja in the stomach, knocking him out as well.

"Donnie, help April get Leo out of here!" Raph called out. "We'll cover you!"

April was struggling to pull Leo to safety, feeling like she was dragging a ton of bricks across the carpet. Donnie pole vaulted across the room and landed right next to Leo and April.

"Hang on bro." Donnie reassured as he and April picked up Leo. "We're getting you out of here."

"Donnie, where'd you park my van?" April asked, her mind working overtime to come up with a plan.

"Out back." Donnie answered, before deciding something else. "April, as soon as we get clear, you need to make a break for it."

"What?!" April let out.

"If Shredder is back, he'll be gunning for us all." Donnie told her. "This is our fight, not yours."

"Like hell it's not!" April snapped. "I'm not leaving you all, not like this. We're family, and family sticks together, no matter what. Now come on!"

With that, the two carried Leo towards the door. Donnie opened it, only to reveal an entire army of Foot ninja blocking the way.

"Holy Chalupa!" the turtle let out.

Donnie quickly let go of Leo and used his staff to bat the first ninja in front of him. This caused him to topple onto all the other ninjas behind him like a human domino effect.

"They're coming through the shop!" April realized, horrified by the realization. "They've boxed us in!"

"Well it's not like they're giving us any elbow room up here." Donnie countered.

"Go!" Raph called out, smacking another ninja with his sai. "I'll hold em off here."

"We can't lose you too!" Mikey yelled, kicking and punching nearly every ninja in sight.

"I didn't say I wasn't coming back." Raph reassured, blocking a sword strike.

Hesitantly, Mikey was about to run off to catch up with Donnie and April. Suddenly a thought came to his mind. He immediately ducked into the bedroom. He ducked under the bed in a frantic search as a Foot Ninja was coming up behind him. As the ninja tried bring his sword down on him, Mikey sup around blocking the strike with Splinter's walking stick, which he was able to hold on to before they were chased out of the lair. Mikey quickly kicked the ninja out of the way and ran to catch up with the others, with Splinter's walking stick tucked away on his back.

Meanwhile, Raph was alone with two remaining Foot Ninja. The red turtle just smirked as he spun his sai.

"Now I know what you're thinking." Raph spoke. "We outnumber him two to one, we got him. Thing is though, this turtle has already plowed through quite a few of you boys already. So here's the million dollar question; how do you, expect to beat me?"

Just then, several more ninjas crashed through the windows the first few entered from. As Raph readied himself, several more crashed through the kitchen windows, with weapons at the ready. Raph backed up slowly as the massive circle of Foot Ninjas closed in around him.

"Good answer." Raph replied. "Good answer."

…

Outside the apartment on the staircase, Mikey caught up to Donnie and April still carrying Leo downstairs towards the antique shop.

"How's he holding up?" Mikey asked.

"Not good." April reported. "We got to get him out of here, and fast."

"And considering the welcome party we just had, they're probably staking out the shop down stairs waiting for us." Donnie added. "Scope out the store and see what we're up against."

"No problem." Mikey replied.

Mikey then made his way down the stairs and to the door leading into the shop. He opened the door slowly, not sure what to expect.

"It's quiet. Maybe too quiet." Mikey noted before chuckling. "I always wanted to say that."

Mikey then poked his head inside, looking around for any signs of the Foot. His eyes fixated on four individuals with red capes, face masks, bowl hats, and wielding an axe, spear, trident, and double blade sword. The elite warriors of the Foot. Mikey went wide eyed at this reveal.

"Nice hats." Mikey commented.

The double blade elite pulled out some throwing stars and threw them at Mikey. The orange turtle quickly closed the door in a panic before running back up the stairs towards April and Donnie.

"Wrong way pepperoni brain!" Donnie chastised.

"Wrong way my foot." Mikey replied before realizing the stupidity in his phrasing. "Poor choice of words. We got a major ambush downstairs!"

"We don't have a choice." Donnie reminded. "They're pouring in through the windows upstairs."

Back upstairs, Raph's fight with the Foot carried out into the hallway. One ninja swung tried swing his sword at Raph, but he just ducked under it.

"Hey!" Raph called out, blocking another sword with his sai. "What's the story down there?"

"We got some mean looking guys guarding the shop!" Mikey called up.

"They're the Foot Mikey." Donnie replied, starting to walk down. "Mean looking is part of the job description."

"Don! Wait!" Mikey called out.

The purple turtle entered the shop, his staff raised in a defensive manner. Donnie looked around for the 'mean looking guys' Mikey told him about. Donnie finally caught sight of the Foot elites.

"Nice hats." he commented.

One of the elites threw his trident at the turtle, which had Donnie scrambling back through the door. Another elite threw his spear at him. Donnie barely dodged it, getting some of the tail of his mask cut off.

"Uh Raph," Donnie called up. "We got trouble down here!"

Back upstairs, Raph was slashing and bashing the Foot ninja back into the apartment as hard as he could.

"Just! Give! Me! One! Second!"

With one final kick, he knocked the ninjas back into the apartment. He then quickly slammed the door shut and used the blunt end of his sai to bust the handle. Once that was done, he jumped onto the banister and slid down it, landing right in front of April and Leo.

"April, you're gonna need a new door knob." Raph told her.

"My dad and I are gonna need new apartments..." she said quietly.

Raph then ran out into the shop.

"Whoa." Raph let out, stumbling as he entered the room and catching sight of the elites. "Nice hats."

"Yeah we thought so too." Mikey agreed.

"Say what you will about the Foot," Donnie began to concede. "But they do not skip on the headgear."

The elites didn't give them long to admire their choice of headgear. They all brandished their weapons and launched at the turtles. The turtles quickly scattered as the elites hit ground. As Raph landed on the ground, the axe elite dashed towards him and began trying to slash at him. Raph used his sai to block all the attacks dealt to him. Raph quickly ducked under one axe strikes and jumped up to kick him in the face. The elite stumbled a bit before regaining his stance and ran towards Raph. He delivered a devastating kick to the turtle, sending him colliding with the wall.

Donnie ran towards the double blade and trident elites and jumped into the air just as they tried bringing their weapons down on him. Donnie landed on both of the weapons and dealt each of them a kick to the chest. Before he had a chance to savor his victory, the spear elite came up from behind and kicked him in the shell. Donnie tumbled on the ground a bit before getting to his hands and knees. He looked up to see the spear elite in the air descending towards him with his weapon pointed down. Instinctively, Donnie rolled out of the way as the weapon made contact with the ground. He quickly got back to his feet and readied himself to face his new opponent.

After getting back up, the double blade elite went at Mikey, swinging his weapon in one mad slash after another. Mikey kept dodging and back flipping out of the way until he landed behind a suit of armor. The elite just sliced through it piece by piece, causing Mikey to stumble and fall backwards onto the floor. Mikey quickly got to his feet and leapt out of the way of the elite bringing his weapon down on him. Mikey landed on the ground and backed up into Raph who was still fighting with the axe elite.

"You doing ok Raph?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah..." Raph replied sounding exhausted. "I… I just need a chance to catch my breath."

"I know how you feel." Mikey concurred. "Think we can call a timeout or something?"

Barely hesitating, both turtles charged towards their respective enemies, only for those elites to deliver devastating kicks to the both of them, causing them to collide with each other before falling to the ground.

Donnie meanwhile, was duking it out with the spear elite. Donnie was able to block blows both high and low before the elite kicked him in the chest, causing him to collide with the counter. The elite swung his spear at the turtle, only for Donnie to duck under it, causing the spear to slice a vase on the counter.

"Hey!" Donnie chastised getting to his feet. "Try not to wreck the shop!"

The elite only responded by trying to bring his spear down on Donnie. Don quickly brought his staff up to block it.

"Or at least try not to wreck it too badly." Donnie relented, sweeping the elites legs.

Donnie then glanced over to see the two elites standing over his brothers. Thinking fast, Donnie vaulted over with his staff and kicked the two elites into a wall as he landed.

"You guys good?" Donnie asked as he brothers got to their feet.

"Yeah." Mikey replied.

"I'm good." Raph responded.

Just then, the turtles saw the two downed elites disappear into a puff of smoke. They turned behind them to see the spear and trident elites walking towards them and a puff of smoke coming out of nowhere, revealing the double blade and axe elites among them.

"Oh come on!" Mikey let out.

…

Back in the hallway, April was still carrying Leo and getting closer to the entrance to the antique shop. As continued to move, she was totally unaware of the large ominous shadow looming over her. Suddenly, a large hand grabbed hold of Leo and yanked him out of April's grasp. April turned around to see Hun standing over her and holding Leo by the shell.

"Your friend doesn't look too well." Hun observed. "Shall I put him out of his misery?"

April backed up in shock until she eyed a nearby vase. She quickly picked it up and smashed it against his head. This did little but make him grunt in response.

"Ow." he let out.

"Put him down!" April demanded.

"If you insist." Hun replied.

Hun then threw Leo into the shop, across the room, and right into a steel pipe.

"Leo!" Raph let out, seeing the sight before him.

Infuriated by this, April tried applying some of the training she received from Master Splinter and tried kicking Hun in the face. Unfortunately, Hun caught the leg and pushed her forward out into the shop. Raph saw this and, as Hun was coming out, ran up and kicked him in the face, knocking him back into the hallway. April quickly got back up and ran towards the door to slam it shut. Raph meanwhile, went over to check on Leo. Donnie and Mikey came over as well to do the same.

"Leo…" Mikey let out.

"This has gone on way too long." Donnie decided.

"On that we agree." a voice agreed.

The turtles turned to see Nakumo and Karai leaning on one of the counters.

"Well if it ain't the Wonder Twins." Raph remarked, spinning his sai. "You bozos got a lot of nerve busting in here like this."

"Aw, is a certain turtle feeling under the weather?" Karai taunted. "I gotta say, considering the punishment he took, I'm amazed he's still breathing."

Raph growled in response, having enough of all that has transpired today.

"Why are you here?" Donnie asked. "Why are you doing this?!"

"We just thought this would be the perfect time for a little reunion." Nakumo remarked, gesturing to the door.

As if on cue, the door to the shop was kicked open, and a figure walked inside the shop. A figure the turtles knew all too well.

"Aw crud." Raph let out.

"It-it's really him." Mikey said in complete horror. "Just like Leo said."

"The Shredder." Donnie concluded.

All the turtles could do was watch in terror as their arch enemy walked towards them.

"So, we meet again my reptilian adversaries." Shredder greeted. "It's been some time."

"Not long enough." Raph retorted.

"You aren't still upset about us dropping a giant eyeball on your head are you?" Donnie asked, trying to sound confident.

"Oh I remember all that transpired during our last encounter." Shredder responded. "And now you will learn that no one opposes the Shredder…" Shredder crossed his arms as he spoke and extended his claws. "And lives. Say farewell to each other, while you still can."

"Oh yeah Mr. Spikey Pants?" Mikey asked spinning his Nunchucks. "Well, maybe you're the one who should be saying farewell, to… uh, to… to yourself!"

"Oh yeah Mikey, that got him." Raph replied dryly.

"Hey!" Mikey yelled back. "I'm under a lot of pressure here!"

"Silence!" Shredder demanded.

"Guys I say we shred his butt once and for all!" Raph declared, stepping forward. "For Leo! You with me?"

"You know it." Donnie replied.

"I'm almost insulted you have to ask." Mikey joked.

With that, the three turtles leapt towards the metal villain. Shredder jumped in the air and split kicked Raph and Mikey, knocking them both to the ground. As Shredder landed, Donnie fell towards him with his staff drawn back. As Donnie swung his staff down at him, Shredder grabbed it and kicked the purple turtle away. Still holding onto Donnie's staff, Shredder activated the blade end, and leapt up in the air, trying to bring it down on Donnie. Don rolled out of the way as the blade hit the ground. Donnie got up and tried to kick Shredder in the head, but Shredder just blocked it with the staff. Shredder then used the staff to sweep Donnie's legs, knocking him to the ground. Mikey then ran up and started swinging his Nunchucks wildly at Shredder. The master ninja simply spun the staff fast enough to block the oncoming attacks. He then tried bringing the blade down on him, but Mikey used the chain of his nunchaku to block it. Shredder then moved the blade under his belt and flipped the staff upward, flipping Mikey over onto the ground. Hearing Raph's yell, Shredder ducked under the red turtles flying kick. As Raph landed, he quickly turned around and used his sai to block Shredder's attempt to stab him. After struggling in a weapon lock, Raph tossed the staff out of Shredder's hands. Raph then tried stabbing Shredder with his sai, but Shredder caught it in his claw. He then used his free hand to uppercut Raph, knocking him to the ground. Shredder stood victorious over his fallen enemies.

"This is where you belong turtles." Shredder taunted. "Bowing at my feet."

"Don't… flatter yourself." Raph remarked, propping himself up.

Shredder chuckled a bit before extending one of his claws.

"Any last words before I put an end to your pathetic lives?" he asked.

"Just answer one thing…" Donnie spoke up. "Where's Splinter?"

"Like I said before, no one opposes the Shredder and lives…" Shredder answered. "... His bones lie still at the bottom of your wretched sewers."

The turtles and April gasped in horror upon hearing this news. They had their fears about Splinter's condition for weeks, but to hear confirmation of his demise, it was more than they could bear.

"Splinter…" Donnie let out, still in shock.

"... Dad…" Mikey let out as tears began to form.

"No…" Raph let out, breathing erratically, "No… you lie!"

"... Do I?" Shredder asked smirking.

That was the last straw. Raph yelled in complete fury before charging at Shredder full force. Shredder simply grabbed Raph by the throat and slammed him to the ground.

"Do not grieve for your master long," Shredder told him as he raised a claw overhead. "For you will soon join him in death."

Before Shredder could bring the claw down, the sound of a roaring motorcycle rang out from outside the shop. Shredder turned to see someone riding up and crashing through the front window. Raph rolled out of the way as the bike collided with Shredder and sent him crashing into a shelf. The rider then got off his bike and took off the hood of his coat, revealing the hockey mask clad face of Casey Jones.

"Now that's what I call makin' an entrance." he remarked.

"Casey!" Raph called out, getting to his feet.

"I've never been so happy to see that lunatic in my life." Donnie let out.

"Hey Raph," Casey greeted. "Thought I'd drop by to see how our little talk went."

As Casey walked through the ship, two foot elite stood in his way. He simply took out a baseball bat and batted them out of the way.

"Didn't expect you to be throwing a party though." he admitted as he came over to April, who had taken hold of Leo. "You okay, babe?"

"Don't call me babe." she told him.

"So, this is the infamous Casey Jones." Nakumo remarked.

"Yeah, a real piece of work." Karai confirmed.

"Bah! Obliterate him!" Shredder ordered.

Suddenly, Bebop and Rocksteady burst in with a horde of Foot Ninja behind them. The turtles and Casey readied themselves for the oncoming battle.

"Lucky for you Casey, the party's just getting started." Donnie told him.

"Yeah, and here comes the band." Raph remarked.

"You gotta be kidding me." Casey let out. "I want rock and roll man!"

Casey then pulled out a hockey stick and a golf club and spun them around, ready for battle.

"Good thing I brought my own drumsticks, now who wants to be the drum?" Casey remarked. "Goongala! Goongala!"

Casey and the turtles then charged towards the Foot army. Despite the Foot's best efforts, the heroes were able to fight them back.

…

Outside, a cop car pulled up outside the shop. The two officers inside, one male and one female, the car looked in the shop and saw the fight taking place.

"Whoa." one officer let out. "Major rumble in the jungle."

"This is Officer Winters," the female officer called out on the radio. "Requesting immediate backup!"

...

While the fight was continuing, Hun burst through the door, feeling especially angry. As he looked around the battlefield, he saw April clutching Leo. He smirked at this before walking over. As Donnie swatted away another Foot Ninja with his staff, he looked over and saw Hun and where he was heading.

"April!" Donnie called out as he tried to run over.

Before he could get very far, he was tackled to the ground by Bebop. As they landed, Donnie tried to struggle to get free, but his efforts came up empty, leaving him only able to watch as Hun loomed over April and his injured brother.

"Remember me?" Hun asked, smirking.

April stood up and took a defensive stance.

"If you want him, you gotta go through me." She declared.

"That's the idea." he replied.

April stepped back in shock.

"Those green freaks feel great affection for you." he told her, cracking his knuckles. "Losing you should take the fight out of them."

Hun pulled back his fist, ready to attack April. Before he could let it loose though, something caught it. Hun looked back and saw Casey holding his fist back with a hockey stick.

"Hun!" Casey yelled. "Never! Ever! Threaten her!"

Hun tried to punch him with his free hand, but Casey quickly dodge it. Hun tried to kick him, but Casey leapt over that as well. As Hun tried punching him again, Casey moved behind him and struck him with the golf club, causing Hun to topple onto some Foot Ninja. Casey then turned back towards April to see how she was doing.

"You alright April?" he asked.

"Yeah… thanks." April replied.

"Uh… don't mention it." Casey replied nervously. "Well, uh, gotta run!"

Casey ran off to rejoin in the battle, leaving April just sitting there smiling.

Back with Donnie, he was still struggling to get out from under Bebop's weight. Meanwhile, Rocksteady was walking towards him, wielding a crowbar.

"Hold him still Bebes." Rocksteady told him, raising the crowbar overhead. "This little twerp's had this coming for a long time!"

As Rocksteady brought the crowbar down, Donnie braced himself for the strike. Fortunately, the attack was blocked by Raph and his sai. Donnie couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Watch your back, brainiac." Raph told him.

"Isn't that what you're for Raph?" Donnie asked, smirking.

Donnie finally got an arm free and punched Bebop in the nose. Bebop rolled over off of Don, clutching his snout in pain. Donnie quickly got to his feet and body slammed Bebop in the gut. Raph meanwhile, was still struggling against Rocksteady's crowbar. Finally, he flung the crowbar out of his hands and backflip kicked him in the face, knocking him back.

Meanwhile, April had picked Leo back up and was carrying him towards the emergency exit. Suddenly, Shredder landed right in front of them, much to April's surprise.

"Going somewhere Ms. O'Neil?" Shredder asked.

Shredder then wasted no time grabbing April by the shirt and Leo by the sword strap. He then threw April aside, sending her colliding into a wall.

"Worry not Ms. O'Neil," Shredder told her extending a claw. "I fully intend to end this turtles suffering."

"Get away from my brother!" Mikey yelled running towards him.

Mikey then jumped in the air and double kicked Shredder, making him let go of Leo and sending him flying into a counter. As Shredder stabilized himself, Mikey landed right in front of him still spinning his Nunchucks.

"I'm not letting you hurt anymore of my family, Shredder." Mikey threatened, with no trace of his usual joking manner.

"What you allow is of no consequence, turtle." Shredder threw back.

Shredder then thrusted a claw out at Mikey, but Mikey just swatted it away with his nunchaku. Mikey then began swinging his chucks wildly at Shredder, but he was able to block them all with his gauntlets. Finally, Shredder, caught a nunchaku and threw Mikey against the counter. Shredder tried stabbing him again, but Mikey just jumped up onto the counter to avoid it.

"Why did you do it?" Mikey demanded. "Why did you kill my father?!"

Mikey tried kicking Shredder in the head, but the bladed ninja just ducked under it. Shredder then jumped up onto the counter to continue the fight.

"I will not allow any who choose to oppose me to live." Shredder answered. "Your master's death could only be prolonged for so long!"

Shredder continued pressing the attack, slashing his claws at Mikey from every direction. Mikey was barely able to keep up blocking and dodging the constant attacks.

"But he was your brother, Saki!" Mikey insisted. "Your best friend! And you killed him! How could you do that?"

Mikey leapt in the air trying to kick him, but Shredder just grabbed him by the leg and slammed him onto the counter.

"He abandoned all pretense of brotherhood with me when he chose his murderous master over me!" Shredder answered as he slammed him again.

Shredder then threw Mikey into a wall, causing him to slide to the ground. Shredder leapt off the counter and onto the ground. He extended both his claws as he walked towards him.

"His fate was sealed," he continued. "As is yours."

Shredder was about to strike when something knocked him to the ground. He looked up to see Casey Jones standing over him.

"You know, these guys told me you were a heartless douchebag," Casey said as Shredder got up. "But attacking a kid when he's down, while he's grieving his daddy? Ain't you ever heard of a fair fight?"

"I fight to win." Shredder retorted.

"And that's why you and I will never be friends." Casey joked as he pulled out two baseball bats.

Casey swung his bats at Shredder, and one by one, Shredder caught them with his claws.

"You have no skill, no real weapons," Shredder told him. "What chance have you to stand against me?"

"What I lack in skill," Casey said before kicking Shredder in the stomach. "I make up for in style."

Shredder landed against a counter still holding a bat in his claw. He slammed it against the counter shattering it to pieces.

"You have spirit boy." Shredder admitted, getting up.

He then kicked Casey in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.

"And for that I promise your demise will be swift." Shredder finished.

Shredder extended a claw as he walked towards Casey. Before he could get close enough, Shredder heard some kind of creaking ring out. He turned to see a shelf toppling over and before he could move, it fell right on top of him, crushing him. Casey turned to see it was April who had pushed the shelf over. He smirked as he got to his feet.

"Is this gonna be a thing with us?" Casey asked. "I save you, you save me?"

"We'll figure that out after we get the guys out of here." April replied. "I don't know how much longer Leo can last."

"Right." Casey agreed.

Raph meanwhile, was still taking down Foot Ninja. As he punched one out, he was the axe elite standing over a still dazed Mikey, ready to end him.

"Mikey look out!" Raph called.

Mikey looked up to see the elite about to swing his weapon. Mikey quickly rolled out of the way, causing the elite to cut some electrical cables. The elite was electrocuted a bit before a fuse blew, sending the elite flying back and starting a fire in the shop. The fire quickly began to spread around, causing dismay for both heroes and villains.

"Whoa!" Mikey

"That's it!" Donnie declared. "We're getting out of here.

"Great!" Raph agreed, elbowing a Foot Ninja. "But where to?"

April glanced over at a metal door along one of the rear walls of the shop, an idea forming. Grabbing Leo, she began dragging him towards it.

"In there!" she declared, pointing at the door.

Mikey quickly ran over and threw the door open.

"Everyone inside!" he called out.

Casey helped April carry Leo towards the door as Donnie and Raph ran up to join them. Once they all got inside, Mikey slammed the door shut. The others looked around to see they were in some kind of large closet.

"This isn't an exit, it's a closet." Casey realized.

"Great." Raph let out. "Small, dark, and no way out. Perfect for a last stand."

"Raph, give me one of your sai." April interjected, kneeling by the back of the closet and holding out a hand.

"What?" Raph let out, confused. "Why do you-"

"Your sai!" she shouted. "Now!"

Raph then quickly handed April one of his sai, not wanting to invoke her wrath any further. April quickly took it, jamming it into a screw on the wall and using it as a makeshift screwdriver.

"So what exactly are ya doin April?" Casey asked.

"The shop used to be a grocery store before my dad bought it." April explained. "This was the freezer. Dad could never afford to get the hole for the cooling unit filled, so he just covered it. If I can get this panel off, we'll have a passage straight for the alley out back."

"Nice." Raph admitted.

…

Back outside, several Foot Ninja were trying to open up the closet and get after the turtles, but it seemed jammed shut.

"Open it already!" Nakumo demanded.

Before any more attempts could be made, several police sirens started sounding off from outside.

"The police." Hun cursed.

"We can't be seen here." Karai told them.

"Agreed." Shredder confirmed. "Foot Ninja, disappear."

With that, the Foot Ninja, as well as Hun, Nakumo, Karai, Bebop and Rocksteady, made their escape. Shredder remained behind as he picked up a lone piece of metal and slid it through the closet's door handle, trapping them inside.

"This is your end, turtles." Shredder declared, raising a fist and extending a claw. "Like the phoenix, I have risen from the ashes!"

Shredder then slashed at a nearby gas line, allowing the volatile gas to flood into the burning store.

"And into my fire, you shall fall." Shredder finished as he walked past the flames and out of the shop, leaving his enemies to their fate.

…

April's hard work finally paid off as she got one of the screws to snap off.

"Alright." she declared, "One down, three to go."

As she began work on the second screw, Raph caught a whiff of something in the air.

"You guys smell gas?" he asked.

"Hey don't look at me." Mikey protested.

"Not that kind of gas dummy." Donnie corrected.

"Wait a minute," Casey realized. "Gas plus fire equals…"

There was a split second of stunned realization, then all able-bodied fighters scrambled for the panel.

"We gotta get out of here!" Casey exclaimed.

"No time to do this the nice way." Raph declared, grabbing the loose edge of the panel and pulling it back. "Donnie, do your thing!"

Donnie shoved his Bo staff in the provided opening, using said staff as a lever to wrench it from the wall. Once the opening was clear, April crawled through, pulling Leo behind her. Raph and Mikey were next, with Donnie and Casey pulling the rear.

"Everybody in the van!" Donnie ordered, pointing to April's van.

They made their way towards the van and one by one, piled inside, with the unconscious Leo lying in the back. Casey jumped into the driver's seat, grabbing the keys and jamming them into the ignition.

"Everyone hold on to something!" he yelled.

He slammed his foot on the gas, peeling out of the alley seconds before the entire shop went up in a fiery explosion. April turned back to see hers and her dad's home burst into flames. She leaned against the window, falling to her knees as silent tears filled her eyes.

"No..." she gasped.

Donnie was about to place a hand on her shoulder, but decided against it, pulling it back.

"W-what do we do now?" Mikey asked.

Everyone remained silent for a moment, now knowing how to answer.

"We do what Leo wanted," Raph finally spoke up. "We get out of town."

"But what about gathering the mutants?" Donnie questioned. "The punk frogs, Mondo Gecko… Lisa."

"We don't have time." Raph replied. "If we don't get Leo help soon…"

"Right." Donnie realized. "But where are we gonna go? We never figured out a plan."

"I may know a place." Casey offered. "My gran used to own a farmhouse up in Northampton. Nobody for miles."

"Then let's go there." Raph decided.

"You got it." Casey replied.

With that, the van sped off towards the city limits, leaving the ever growing chaos and darkness behind them.

…

While the turtles were driving away, the guardian was watching the burning inferno that was April's home. He and his superiors had been able to track them down to this place, but it seemed they were too late to help. The guardian lowered his head in shame, feeling he had failed what could be the cities only help against the coming storm.

…

 _The ensuing fight between Splinter and Shredder carried the two longtime enemies further through the tunnel, each of them trading one blow after another. Shredder tried sweeping Splinter's legs, but Splinter just jumped over it. As he landed though, Shredder thrusted his palm forward, hitting Splinter in the chest and knocking him back and into a drainage junction. Splinter slowly started getting up as Shredder walked towards._

 _"Your skills have only softened in your later years." Shredder mocked. "Yet I still remain as strong as ever. For my power comes from my hatred! My rage!"_

 _Shredder tried thrusting a claw forward, but Splinter just blocked it and thrust a fist forward on Shredder's chest, knocking back, and onto the ground. Shredder shook his head in pain as he looked up at Splinter._

 _"Rage is a fuel that burns quickly." Splinter retorted._

 _"Always the wise one." Shredder remarked._

 _Shredder then took out three kunai knives and threw them at Splinter, one after the other. Splinter quickly dodged them all, allowing Shredder to get up and leap towards Splinter. Splinter leapt back, quickly dodging a claw strike from Shredder. Shredder tried slicing again, but Splinter was quick to block it as well. Shredder tried a slicing uppercut, but Splinter back flipped out of the way. As Splinter started running towards him, Shredder pulled something out from behind his back. As Splinter got close, Shredder threw blinding powder in his face. Splinter cried out in pain as he stumbled back, allowing Shredder an opening before kicking him in the chest, knocking him into some nearby pipes. Despite his diminished sight and already bad hearing, he could sense Shredder leaping towards him, ready to strike. Splinter took a stance and slowly thrusted two fingers on both hands forward. Shredder went wide eyed as they just barely touched his chest plate. Suddenly, an unseen force pushed Shredder back and right through a wall._

 _Thinking his opponent beaten, Splinter started walking off, holding his aching side as he did so. Shredder meanwhile, pulled himself out of the crater he found himself embedded in. letting out a yell of fury, he leapt towards Splinter. Splinter only barely turned his head before Shredder slashed at his shoulder. Before Splinter could even hit the ground, Shredder grabbed him by the back of the robe and threw him back into another wall. Shredder then quickly dashed towards Splinter and punched him in the gut. Splinter slowly fell to the floor out cold as Shredder stood victorious. Noticing a valve behind him, Shredder turned it, activating the current of water below them. He then picked up Splinter by the back of the robe and walked towards the edge of the platform._

 _"I would have waited an eternity for this," Shredder remarked. "At long last, the final remembrance of Hamato Yoshi… dies!"_

 _With that, Shredder threw Splinter into the water, allowing him to be swept away into the current. Once Splinter was out of sight, Shredder turned and walked away, satisfied that his long time enemy was no more._

…

 **Holy shell! How's that for a closer? Well, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. BTW, the character of Officer Winters is actually the name of a character in a story written by my co-author, Author of the Insane. In fact, she has her own TMNT story called Secret of the Sewers. You should definitely check it out. That story is awesome, and Turtle Power wouldn't be the same without her. Thanks for reading, review if you can, and see ya next time!**


	31. Aftershock

_This is April O'Neil. It's been some time since I've written in this old journal. It's just so much has happened lately, especially in the last few days. My friends, the turtles, have suffered their latest and greatest defeat. Their enemy, the Shredder, returned and nearly killed Leonardo. If that wasn't bad enough, they also learned that they may have lost any chance of see their Master Splinter again, and I think that hurt them more than anything. Casey suggested we head to his grandmother's farmhouse in Northampton, and that's where we are now. Admittedly, I wasn't super thrilled when we first got here…_

…

April tossed and turned in the passenger seat of the van, an old blanket draped over her.

"Hey April," Casey said, nudging her. "Yo."

April sat up, gasping as she did. She took a few breaths to try and regain herself, wiping her face as she did so.

"Sorry..." she murmured apologetically, "Where are we?"

"We're almost to the farmhouse." he told her. "I wanted you to be awake when we got there."

April rubbed her eyes, looking out the window. All she could see were a seemingly endless expanse of trees that seemed to go on for miles. Finally, Casey turned onto a path that lead to an old, seemingly rundown farmhouse with a barn across from it. April's face fell a bit as she saw it.

"Um, Casey? How long ago was your Grandmother living here?" she asked.

"Ok so the place has gotten a little run down since she passed away." Casey admitted. "Still it's not entirely unlivable."

"Does it have running water and electricity?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah." Casey confirmed.

"Then it'll do." Donnie replied.

About that time, the engine of the van made a loud popping noise, then it began to sputter and shake. The van came to a slow, groaning halt, black smoke emitting from under the hood. April cursed and kicked the floor hard.

"Stupid piece of junk..." she grumbled.

"Well at least it got us here, right?" Casey asked, trying to be optimistic.

"We'll worry about the van later." Donnie dismissed. "Right now, let's take care of Leo."

"Right," Mikey agreed. "I'll grab his arms, you get his legs."

…

With a little work, the turtles, April, and Casey got Leo up to the master bathroom. After removing his mask and pads, they placed him in the tub filled with water.

"This should keep him hydrated," Donnie told them. "Help him heal faster.

"Someone should probably stay up here to keep an eye on him." April mused. "Just in case."

"I'll do it." Raph volunteered.

"You sure Raph?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah." Raph answered. "...it's not like I got anything better to do."

He snagged a stool from under the old sink, plopping down on it and leaning against the wall of the bathroom.

"Ok…" Donnie spoke. "I'm gonna see what I can do about the water heater. See if I can get some hot water around here."

Donnie then walked off to get some work done.

"Casey, show me where the cleaning supplies is kept." April requested. "If we're gonna be here awhile, we might as well make the place livable."

"Right this way." he gestured.

The two walks off as well.

"I'm just gonna…" Mikey spoke up. "... Be somewhere."

With that, the others left, leaving Raph alone to keep vigil over his fallen brother.

…

Back in New York City, in the Foot's sky rise headquarters, Nakumo, Karai, Hun, as well as several foot soldiers and the elites were all gathered around a large dining table that was covered in food and bottles of Japanese sake. Everyone was lifting saucers high, cheering about their latest success. Karai was even a little red faced from the amount of sake she'd consumed. Nakumo then started hitting a fork against his glass, getting the attention of the others.

"Attention everyone." Nakumo called out. "I would like to propose a toast!"

Everyone held their glasses up in response.

"This is a glorious day for the Foot Clan!" he began. "Our dominance over this city is assured, and our hated enemies, the turtles, are no more!"

There was a loud cheer as everyone raised their glasses.

"To the defeat of the turtles!" Karai shouted.

"And to the rise of the Shredder!" Nakumo added.

Suddenly, several shuriken soared through the air, cutting through all the glasses raised. The Foot turned to see the shuriken embed themselves into the foot insignia emblazoned on the wall.

"Aren't we being a bit presumptuous?" a voice asked.

Everyone turned to see Shredder entering the room, with a surprising amount of irritation visible through his helmet.

"Come now, Master," Hun insisted. "The Foot is back on top, profits are better than ever, and the turtles are finished. Why shouldn't we be celebrating?"

"Yeah Father." Karai called out. "I thought you'd be happy to be done with those revolting reptiles."

"Really?" Shredder asked sarcastically. "Then answer me this… Where. Are. The bodies?"

"Ash, father." Karai replied. "Burnt to a crisp when the explosion took out O'Neil's shop."

"She's right master," Nakumo agreed. "Nothing is left of that place but rubble and cinders."

"See?" Hun said walking over to him. "I think it's safe to assume that-"

Hun didn't get the chance to finish before Shredder grabbed his arm and twisted it. This caused the behemoth him to kneel, allowing Shredder to easily upper-cut him onto the table. The table broke on impact, splintering to pieces beneath the oversized man. This action surprised everyone present.

"We will assume nothing!" Shredder yelled. "I already assumed Chung Li destroyed once before, and it cost me dearly. I will not make the same mistake twice. Until I have conclusive proof of the turtles' demise, you will do nothing else!"

"Well what do you want us to do?" Karai questioned, her drunkenness slurring her words slightly. "Sift through the ash for bits of bone and shell?"

"Perhaps a more scientific approach is in order." a new voice suggested.

Everyone turned to see Baxter Stockman entering the room in a mechanized wheelchair, sporting a neck brace in addition to his other injuries.

"I did not send for you, Stockman." Shredder noted.

"And I know you weren't invited to this party." Karai remarked, giving the scientist a glare.

"Both were equal mistakes." Stockman remarked.

"You know for a self-proclaimed genius, you sure have a hard time learning from your own mistakes." Nakumo jested."

"What do you want Stockman?" Shredder asked.

"A simple trade of goods and services." Stockman replied.

"Just get to the point Stockman." Karai snapped.

"I can provide the most sophisticated DNA analysis of Ms. O'Neil's destroyed shop." he promised. "You'll know beyond the shadow of a doubt if your enemies survived. What do you say to that?"

"I say information like that never comes free." Shredder remarked. "What do you want in return?"

"Nothing major, just unrestricted access to the Kraang exo-skeleton you recovered."

"And why in the name of sanity would we let you even look at that thing?" Karai questioned.

"Why wouldn't you?" Stockman replied. "A small sample of its technological secrets created the Foot-Tech Ninjas. Imagine what I could create were I given full access. A win/win proposition if I do say so myself."

Shredder paused for a moment, contemplating the proposal before him.

"Very well Stockman." Shredder allowed. "Bring me conclusive proof of the turtles' demise, and you will be so rewarded. But fail me again,"

Shredder extended a claw, to emphasize his point.

"And your next punishment, will be your last."

Shredder retracted the claw before walking out. Karai chuckled a bit, giving Stockman a sly glance.

"See you at your execution, Stockman."

Stockman just sat there, clenching his robotic hand in anger.

…

 _It's been a few days since we arrived at the farm house, and the turtles just seem… broken. Donatello has been throwing himself into any available project, trying to keep himself busy and his mind off of everything that's happened. I guess it's a good thing my van broke down. Repairing the engine has taken up most of his time, though Casey has been trying to help. I know I shouldn't be complaining, but I can't help but feel like Don's doing all this just to try and avoid me. After what I said after what happened to Dad, I can't say I blame him._

 _While Donatello has been all over the place, Raphael hasn't moved since we got here. All he does is watch over Leonardo. He takes his meals on that stool, and I've seen him asleep on it multiple times, leaning against the sink for support. The others told me he and Leo had a fight before everything happened, so I can imagine that he feels responsible for what happened, no matter how much you want to tell him otherwise._

 _And Michelangelo… I honestly don't know about Mikey. He disappears for hours on end, returning only for dinner or if Donnie needs help changing Leo's water. I'm worried about him. He's always been the glue that kept the brothers together, the happy goofball that kept everyone from taking themselves too seriously. Now… Now I don't know._

…

April set down her pen, flexing her fingers a bit to work out a small cramp.

"Hey April," Casey said, walking up to her.

"Hey Casey." She replied, still flexing her fingers. "How's the van coming?"

"Slow." Casey remarked. "Block's got a crack in it the size of the San Andreas. I was just about to talk Donnie into giving me a hand."

"Good idea." April replied before another question arose. "Hey, you wouldn't have happened to see Mikey today, have you?"

"I think I saw him heading off into the woods earlier." Casey tried to recollect.

"Thanks Casey." April told him, closing her journal and standing up. "I'm gonna go see if I can find him."

"Good luck." he wished her.

…

In the barn, Donnie was trying to work on April's van, though seemingly encountering one problem after another.

"Dang van," Donnie said to himself. "It's a wonder you're even running."

"Yo Brainiac!" Casey shouted and he threw the barn doors open. "Ya in here?"

"Yeah!" Donnie called back. "Over here!"

Casey walked in, approaching the purple turtle.

"Find anything in this rust bucket that actually works?" he asked.

"Barely." Donnie remarked. "How old is this thing?"

"Probably older than half the fossils in the Smithsonian."

"Well it needs a full body overhaul." Donnie added.

"Need an extra set of hands?" Casey offered.

"Yeah, I could use the help." Donnie replied gratefully.

"Then just point me in the right direction, Einstein." Casey declared, jokingly ribbing Donnie.

…

Mikey knelt in front of a large outcropping of rocks in the middle of the forest. On the center most rock, he had drawn a simplistic picture of Splinter with some chalk, and placed his recovered walking stick in front of it.

"Hi Sensei," Mikey said in a somber tone. "I, uh… I really miss you… it's been hard for me and the guys without you. Donnie hasn't stopped working to take a breath, Raph hasn't moved since we got here, and Leo… Leo still hasn't woken up yet."

Mikey sniffled a bit as tears began forming in his eyes.

"I... I'm scared Sensei… I don't know how we're gonna do this without you. We barely held our own before but with the Kraang gearing up and now Shredder's back… we need you Sensei…. I need you..."

"Mikey?"

Mikey jolted, turning around quickly. Behind him, using a tree to steady herself on the uneven ground, was April, who was eyeing him with a hint of worry.

"April…?" Mikey replied.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, before noting the tears coming from Mikey's eyes. "Have you been crying?"

Mikey quickly wiped the tears from his eyes.

"No…" he replied.

April then looked behind him and saw the rock behind him. When her eyes rested on the carving, as well as the staff, everything clicked into place. She didn't say a word as she approached the turtle, gently wrapping her arms around him.

"You don't have to pretend, Mikey." she told him. "Just let it out. Let it all out."

Mikey hiccupped, then began crying once more, clinging to April tightly. The two gently slid to the ground, April gently petting Mikey's head.

"I know you miss him, Mikey." April whispered. "We all do. But if there's one thing I know, it's that we will find him eventually, and he'll be as right as rain."

Mikey sniffed, looking up at April with confused, tear-filled eyes.

"But… But Shredder said-"

"Anything Shredder says is nothing but sewer slime." She told him, wiping a tear from his cheek. "You really think Master Splinter would fall to him? No way, no how."

"But Falco… and the machine…"

"Master Splinter was a human before he was a rat." April reminded him. "Falco's machine may not have even worked on Splinter."

"Huh…" Mikey perked up, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I never thought of it that way… maybe there is hope."

"Of course there's hope, Mikey." April told him. "There's always hope. Sometimes, you just gotta look for it."

She helped him to his feet, dusting off her pants before giving him a smile.

"And never feel ashamed of crying." she added. "You don't have to be the happy one all the time."

"I guess I feel I have to sometimes…" Mikey admitted. "I mean, with Don being so brainy, Raph so angry and Leo so… Leo, someone's gotta balance things out, right?"

April nodded.

"You have a point." she allowed. "Speaking of Donny, have you seen him around? I feel like he's been avoiding me ever since we got here."

"I think he's out in the barn working on your van." Mikey told her.

"Thanks Mikey." she told him. "I'm going to go talk to him. In the meantime, why don't you go check on Raph? I think he could use some of your Mikey charm."

"You got it." Mikey replied. "And April… thanks. We turtles are lucky to have a friend like you."

"And I'm lucky to have friends like you, Mikey." she told him in return.

…

Back in New York, Stockman had his mouser robots sifting through the rubble of the shop. Their results however, were inconclusive. With every failed scan, Stockman felt a noose tightening around his neck.

"Nothing!" He exclaimed. "Not so much as a trace of mutant turtle DNA! I can't find a single shred of proof that anything died here. If I go back to Shredder empty handed he'll..."

Stockman gulped at the prospect.

"Well I don't know what he'll do." he concluded. "But I doubt I'll survive it."

About that time, a lone mouser approached him, a piece of red cloth in its mouth. It was probably a shredded piece of a curtain of some sort, but it gave Stockman an idea.

"Well, if I can't find any evidence," Stockman mused, poking some eye holes into the cloth. "I'll just have to make some evidence."

…

"No way zip-neck." Casey called out, his head stuck under the hood of the van. "The Professor and Mary-Ann, happily ever after."

"You got it all wrong, Atomic-Mouth!" Donnie argued from inside the van. "Gilligan was her main man. By my calculations, they would've been married and have had five kids by now."

"Gilligan was a geek, Barfaroni!" Casey challenged, tightening a bolt on the engine.

"Guess it takes one to know one, Camel-Teeth."

"Look who's talking, Dome head."

Donnie patted his bald head, then let out a growl.

"Elf lips!" he retorted.

"Alright," Casey let out, closing the hood. "That should do it. Let's see if we actually made a dent in this thing, Fungoid."

"I think I'd prefer avoiding making any more dents in this." Donnie replied.

"You know what I mean." Casey threw back.

"Right," Donnie responded. "Ready when you are Gack-face."

"Just punch it, Hose brain!" Casey shouted.

Donnie gunned the engine, smiling as it turned over. However, what he didn't realize was that the van was in drive, and his foot was resting on the gas pedal. The van shot forward, crashing through the doors of the bar at an alarming pace. April, who had been approaching the barn, immediately went wide eyed and dove out of the way, landing on a large pile of firewood by the door. The van then screeched to a halt, Donnie practically throwing himself out of the van to check on her.

"Oh my gosh, April!" he let out. "Are you ok?!"

April sat up, her hand on her chest and her breath erratic.

"Yeah..." she replied, "Just… let the adrenaline die down a bit..."

"I am so so so so so so not enough so's in the multiverse sorry." Donnie apologized.

"Don, it's okay." April told him, finally calming down. "Just… keep it in park next time, okay?"

"Okay." Donnie replied before pausing for a moment. "... Well… I should probably-"

April grabbed his arm, cutting off his escape, and his sentence.

"Before you go, I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Y-y-you have?" he asked.

"Yeah, but you've been avoiding me like I'm Typhoid Mary or something." April remarked. "Is everything okay?"

"I… no…" Donnie finally responded. "I guess I've just been hoping I could not end up on the receiving end of… well…"

April caught on.

"You were afraid I'd blow up again, like I did after the mutagen rain." she guessed.

"Hey you had reason to then," Donnie conceded. "Just like you do now."

"What are you talking about, Don?"

"I mean come on, we cost you your father, your shop, your home," Donnie listed off. "How could you not hate us?"

"Because none of that was your fault." April replied, then the paused. "Well, my dad was your fault, but you didn't mean it. And as for the shop and my apartment, those are just buildings. Home isn't a street address, home is anywhere you can be with those you care about."

She wrapped her arm around him.

"Besides, my dad may be a mutant bat, but he's still alive out there, just like Master Splinter." she added.

"I wish I could be certain of that." Donnie lamented.

"That's why you've got to have faith, Donnie." April told him. "Everything will work out, I promise."

She gave him a hug, then stood up.

"In the meantime, try not to destroy my van any more than it already is, Iguana-face." she added.

Casey let out a loud snort, chuckling. Donnie was left standing there as Casey slapped him on the back of the shell.

"She got you that time, Jelly-Belly."

"Can it, Kraang-bait." Donnie retorted.

…

Raph sat in his chair by Leo's tub, his eyes never leaving his brother. He just sat there waiting, hoping, that his brother would wake up. As he sat, Mikey poked his head in, giving his red-masked brother a small smile.

"Hey bro." he greeted quietly, approaching Raph. "Any change?"

"Nothin." Raph let out.

Mikey looked at Leo, then back at Raph. He placed a hand on his brother's shell.

"He'll be okay." Mikey promised.

"How do you know that?!" Raph asked, turning towards him violently.

"Because he's Leo." Mikey replied, unphased by his brother's mood swing. "He's the best turtle there is, and he's going to be just fine. You'll see."

"Yeah well, Leo wouldn't have to tough it out if-" Raph ranted before cutting himself off.

Mikey took note of this.

"If what, Raph?" Mikey asked, though he already knew the answer.

"... If I didn't blow up at him." Raph finally answered. "He was only out there because of me. It should have been be getting thrashed by the Foot."

"You know that Leo would be saying the exact same thing if your positions were switched." Mikey retorted.

"Yeah but if they were, you guys would have had a better chance." Raph told him. "Now we're stuck in this stupid farmhouse, leaving New York defenseless all because of my stupid temper!"

Before Raph could continue, Mikey lunged forward and gave Raph a hug. The hot head's words cut off and he just stood there, his brother's arms wrapped around him.

"Raph… that's enough." Mikey told him. "Everything will be okay. Leo will wake up, we'll return to New York, we'll find Master Splinter, and then we'll kick Shredder and Karai into the next century for what they did to Leo."

Raph stood there for a few more seconds before finally smiling at Mikey's words. He then proceeded to wrap his arms around his brother in return.

"Thanks Mikey." he replied.

"Anytime, bro." Mikey replied.

"Man, if you're the one giving us inspirational words, we must be in trouble." Raph remarked.

"Cut him some slack, Raph." a weak, croaking voice let out. "Mikey's smarter than he lets on."

Both brothers perked up, then turned to see Leo slowly stirring, his eyes opening for the first time in weeks. After a second of shock, both Raph and Mikey converged on the tub, tears in both of their eyes.

"Leo!" the exclaimed, hugging their brother.

He winced visibly as they held him.

"Careful guys." he warned. "Everything still hurts."

"How are you doing bro?" Mikey asked.

"Sore… and hungry…" Leo replied.

"Hey!" Mikey called out, running out of the room. "Hey, he's awake! He wants some food!"

Raph chuckled as he turned back to Leo.

"You're gonna be ok bro." Raph reassured.

"Yeah…" Leo replied. "Raph look, what I said before… about not need you…"

"Leo," Raph cut off. "Don't."

The two just proceeded to hug, Raph feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off his shell. He gripped his brother tightly, afraid to let go. After a while, Casey, April, and Donny all came running into the bathroom, all of them relieved to see Leo awake.

"Leo, you're back!" April cheered.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Leo!" Casey declared.

"How are you feeling?" Donnie questioned, kneeling beside his brother and examining him. "You feeling woozy, off-balance? How many fingers am I holding up?"

He held up his solitary two fingers at Leo.

"Two Donnie," Leo told him. "I'm in pain, not blind."

"Hehehe." Donnie chuckled, lowering his hand and turning to Raph. "I think the worst of it has passed. Help me get him out of the tub. We can bandage him up and get him in bed."

"Right." Raph replied.

Raph and Donnie grabbed Leo's arms and helped him out of the tub. April and Casey grabbed some towels, quickly drying Leo off. Together, Donnie and Raph set Leo down on the master bed, where Donnie began bandaging his various wounds. While the purple turtle did that, Raph grabbed Leo's mask out of the drawer he'd been storing Leo's gear.

"I believe this is yours." Raph told him.

Leo smiled, leaning forward as best he could so Raph could tie his mask around his face. Raph straightened it, giving his brother a smile.

"Good to have you back, bro."

"Good to be back bro." Leo replied.

…

"This is you conclusive proof?!" Shredder asked, sitting on his throne with his helmet on one of the armrests and holding the red cloth Stockman gave him.

Stockman merely chuckled in response.

"No," he responded. "That is merely a symbol of your victory. This is my conclusive proof."

He fished around the inside of his lab coat, pulling out the scanner he'd used to go over the wreckage.

"High traces of mutated DNA." Stockman reported. "Order: Colonia. Family: Emidiate. Or in layman's terms…"

"Turtles." Shredder finished.

"Indeed." Stockman agreed. "As you can see, from the data I have gathered, there is only one conclusion that can be drawn."

"The turtles perished in the blaze." Shredder let out, surprisingly smiling.

"Ah so that's what you look like when you're pleased." Stockman remarked. "I often wondered."

The smile died in an instant as Shredder turned to Stockman.

"You have done well, Stockman." he declared.

"So it would not be too much to ask for my reward?" Stockman asked.

"Indeed." Shredder relented. "I will have Foot Technicians drop it off at your lab in the morning. Now, if you all will please leave, I have business to attend to."

"Of course, Master." Stockman responded before wheeling out of the room.

"Looks like the celebration is back on." Hun noted.

"Ha-ha, yes!" Karai cheered. "C'mon you overgrown gorilla! I'm gonna drink you under the table!"

"Bring it on little girl." Hun challenged as they walked out of the room.

The only one left was Nakumo, who just stood there contemplating.

"Something on your mind, Nakumo?" Shredder asked.

Nakumo sighed in defeat before turning around.

"I just question the wisdom of this course of action." Nakumo admitted. "Are you sure about your decision?"

"I will admit they are a dangerous ally." Shredder relented. "But they do promise great rewards, and have asked considerably little in return."

"They will betray you," Nakumo cautioned. "You know this. They care nothing for the human race."

Shredder just leaned forward with an intense look on his face.

"Nor do I." he told him. "Leave me!"

Nakumo just bowed in response before exiting himself. As Shredder placed his helmet on his head, a Kraang droid head emerged from the floor and emitted a holographic image of Kraang Prime.

 _"Shredder."_ Kraang Prime greeted. _"To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"_

"I have done what you have asked." Shredder told him. "I have slain the turtles."

He then plugged Stockman's scanner into the droid head, transmitting the date to the Kraang.

 _"Kraang has verified the proof that requires verification."_ A Kraang reported. _"The ones called the turtles are the ones called the turtles that are no more."_

 _"Excellent."_ Kraang Prime let out. _"It seems it was smart to ally with you."_

"So does this mean you will uphold your end of the bargain?" Shredder asked.

 _"Indeed."_ Kraang Prime replied. _"Kraang will allow you and your forces to aid us in the invasion and conquest of New York City. And then, the world!"_


	32. The Creeping Doom

_It's Leonardo. I've recently awoken from a coma, and what I've learned has shaken me to my core. The Shredder is back, and not only did he destroy April's home, but he forced us out of New York to hide in an old farmhouse in Northampton. My body is broken, and I can feel my spirit shattering as well. I fear I may never be the leader my brothers need me to be, not anymore…_

...

Several days had passed since Leo had awoken from his coma. During that time, they had adapted to their new farmhouse life. Donnie kept working on the house to making sure it was livable for them, though this time, he was more willing to talk to April. He had also been working on a secret project out in the barn, but no one knew what it was. All he said was it was a surprise for Leo. Mikey, now regaining his spirit and wanting to prove useful, had taken it upon himself to be the house chef. Casey's grandma had left several cookbooks around the house and Mikey had read nearly every one of them, even throwing his own twists on some of the recipes. What was definitely a surprise was that Mikey's cooking was not only edible, but quite delicious. Raph meanwhile, had taken it upon himself to help Leo with his physical therapy. Despite being awake once more, Leo was still far from recovered. His body had scars stretching all over his body, his limbs ached, and most of all, his leg still seemed broken after his fight. Raph did everything in his power to try and get his brother and leader back to the turtle he once was. Casey and April, meanwhile were occupying themselves by cleaning up the house and aiding Donnie with whatever project he was working on. It wasn't a perfect life, but it was still nice.

One day, Donnie decided it was time to get April back in the habit of her own ninja training. They were out in the front yard practicing with sticks. The two were swing sticks back and forth, going through the motions so April could get them down to memory. He took a swing at her head, but she ducked under it. She tried the same trick on him, but he just ducked under it as well.

"Nice one." Donnie complimented.

"Thanks," April replied. "It was a nice idea to pick back up on my martial arts training."

"I figured it was about time." Donnie retorted.

While they continued training, Mikey snuck out from behind some rocks, and began running towards April.

"YAAAAH!" Mikey cried out. "SNEAK ATTACK!"

April simply stepped out of the way and put her stick out, tripping Mikey as he ran up and caused him to fall onto the ground.

"Mikey, sneak attacks don't work if you yell them out like that." April told him.

"Who said I was the one doing the sneak attacking?" Mikey asked, smirking.

April raised an eyebrow in confusion before Donnie swept her feet with his staff, knocking her to the ground.

"I believe he meant me." Donnie told her.

"Aw yeah!" Mikey let out, getting to his feet. "You gotta be quicker than that if you wanna hang with the ninjas!"

April got to her feet, chuckling a bit as she reclaimed her stick.

"Alright, that was a good one you guys." She admitted. "Guess I'm a bit rustier than I thought."

"Hey it's no big deal." Donnie dismissed. "That's what these training sessions are for. To make you better."

"Speaking of better, how's Leo doing?" she asked curiously.

"As well as can be expected." Donnie told her. "Raph took him for a walk to stretch out his muscles."

"It's a good a place to start as any if we're gonna get the old Leo back." Mikey added.

…

"Come on Leo." Raph told his trailing brother. "Your muscles have gotten super rusty laying around all this time."

"You don't have to… rub it in." Leo called back, following behind on a crutch.

"I ain't trying to bro." Raph assured him. "I'm just saying it's gonna take time for you to get your strength back, and the sooner we start, the sooner you'll be back to being our Fearless Leader."

"That's the…" Leo replied, staggering a bit. "Hope at least."

As he kept walking, his vision became blurry and his leg hard to stand on. He began to shake, the he crumbled to the ground with a soft thud. Raph materialized by his side, making sure Leo hadn't overexerted himself.

"You okay, bro?"

Leo groaned in pain as he tried to get back up.

"No," Leo told him. "Not at all! At this rate, I'll never be ok! I can't even take a walk anymore."

"You can't think that bro." Raph told him. "You just need time to heal."

He reached into his belt, pulling out a small bottle with a label reading 'Leo's Medicine' on it. Inside was a special mutagenic medicine that Donnie had made specifically for Leo to help him heal faster.

"Here, drink up." Raph insisted.

Leo took the bottle and began drinking from it. Something didn't sit right about the medicine and immediately chucked it back up and onto the ground.

"Alright that's it." Raph decided, wrapping one of Leo's arms over his shoulder. "Back to the farmhouse. And leave that bottle there. I don't know what Don was thinking with that stuff."

As the two walked back to the house, the mutagen medicine Leo had barfed began to seep slowly into the ground, the plant life trembling ever so slightly.

…

Back at the farmhouse, Leo was resting on the couch as April was brewing some tea.

"I know it's probably not as good as Splinters, but I tried to make some Jasmine tea." she explained as she brought him a cup.

"Thanks April." Leo replied, taking the cup. "I'm sure it will be good."

"I even made you some chicken noodle soup, bro." Mikey added, carrying over a bowl. "I can guarantee it will be better than anything Donnie can come up with."

"You know I'm sitting right here." Donnie called from the rug.

Leo chuckled at the exchange.

"Thanks Mikey." Leo replied, looking at his reflection in the soup. "I don't think I'll ever be the same again."

"Leonardo, don't you dare talk that way." April chastised. "You just need to give yourself time. Nobody said you had to heal overnight."

"It hasn't felt like I've been healing at all." Leo lamented.

"That's because you're expecting too much from yourself." April told him, sitting down next to him carefully. "Just rest, relax, and let nature take its course. You'll be better before you know it."

"I think I got something that might make you feel better." Casey suggested, opening up a cabinet.

He then pulled out a few VHS tapes and took them over to the TV. Donnie grabbed one of the tapes to take a look.

"Crognard the Barbarian?" Donnie read off. "You can't be serious."

"You kiddin?" Casey replied, putting a tape into the VHS player. "I used to love this show as a kid."

Everyone turned to the TV and saw a very old 80's style cartoon intro, featuring a blonde, incredibly muscular barbarian wearing little more than a few belts and a loincloth. By his side were a beautiful woman in a very skimpy enchantress outfit, a large troll-looking creature with green skin and a purple outfit, and a small, slug like creature flying alongside Crognard. The four of them were riding, though the slug thing was flying, across a strange, deserted landscape.

 _"Graah! Wizardess! Smooch!"_ Crognard cried out. _"Onward to adventure!"_

 _"What are we hunting this time, Crognard?"_ The Wizardess asked, her voice sounding like she was permanently swooning over the barbarian.

 _"The Legendary Black Lagoon Howler has arisen to threaten our land, and we must slay it!"_ Crognard declared.

 _"But… None have seen the Howler's face and lived!"_ Graah let out. _"How will we know when we find it?"_

 _"If it attacks us, it is the Howler!"_ Crognard answered.

 _"Smooch scared Crognard. Smooch, smooch."_ Smooch let out.

 _"Fear not, friend Smooch, for Crognard will slay the Howler!"_

"Yeesh, does this guy know the definition of inside voice?" Raph questioned.

…

Outside the house, a creature moved in the shadows, shuffling towards an old scarecrow hanging by an old field that had once held crops. In a blur of movement, the scarecrow had been stripped of the large overalls that served as its clothing. The creature then put them on itself and then shuffled towards the house. It let out a groan as it swiped at the power box, completely ripping off the door before shorting out most of the wiring inside.

…

Back inside the farmhouse, the others were sitting back, watching more TV when suddenly all the lights went out. Mikey, who had gotten particularly invested in the show, immediately turned a pale shade of green.

"No. No, no, no. Not now! NOT NOW!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Casey assured the orange turtle. "The fuse box probably blew. I'm sure Donnie can fix it up in no time."

"I can try." Donnie replied. "Raph, give me a hand?"

"Sure thing." Raph replied as the two of them went outside.

…

The two turtles approached the fuse box, Donnie taking a look and immediately getting confused.

"That's weird. It looks like someone deliberately sabotaged the fuses." he commented.

"Think someone's looking for trouble?" Raph asked, cracking his knuckles.

"If they were, they'd be storming the house by now." Donnie replied "Something's going on here… hey, head to the barn and get my toolbox, will you?"

"Sure." Raph replied. "Be right back."

With Raph took off towards the barn, unaware of a shadowy figure stalking him through the night. It came up right behind him, completely silent, then it pounced. Raph barely had time to yelp before the creature had him. However, Donnie did manage to hear his short yelp, immediately running for his brother.

"Raph!" he cried out, running towards the direction of his brother's voice.

By the time he got there, Raph was already gone, with no clue as to where he could be.

…

Donnie then returned back inside to tell the others what had happened.

"And by the time I got there, he was gone." Donnie concluded.

"Dude, our nearest neighbor is four miles west of us." Casey commented. "That, and nobody knows we're out here. And what could have possibly gotten the drop on you guys?"

"I have no idea." Donnie admitted. "But whatever it is, is still out there, and it's got Raph."

"Right," Leo agreed. "We need to find him. Donnie and Mikey, search the east side of the woods. Casey and April, take the west."

"What about you?" Mikey asked.

"I'll stay here just in case he does come back." Leo told them. "Besides… I doubt I'll be of much help out there."

Everyone nodded, albeit reluctantly at that last part, then they all headed out to search for the wayward turtle.

…

Out in an old, ramshackle shed deep within the woods, Raph struggled in the grip of what appeared to be grass wrapped around him. His sai sat out of his reach, and he was rooted to the ground, unable to move. As he struggled, a shadow moved over him as the creature approached. Raph looked up at it, going uncharacteristically still as he stared.

"Stay away from me!" he shouted. "Stay the shell away from me!"

The creature paid no mind to his protests, and Raph's screams echoed through the forests.

…

Out in the woods, Donnie and Mikey trudged through the forest, the former more than a bit miffed about Casey getting partnered with April.

"You ok Don?" Mikey asked, taking note of Donnie's mood.

"Fine..." he growled, "Just peachy."

"No you're not." Mikey replied.

Donnie just grumbled in response.

"Why did Leo have to put Casey and April together?" he finally let out. "I mean, he could have partnered her with me, but no, it had to be Casey Jones."

"Come on, what's the worst that can happen?" Mikey asked.

"Mikey, do you know what happens with two young adults are in the woods alone together?" Donnie asked.

"They make out and stuff?" Mikey guessed.

"Exactly!" Donnie yelled back. "And it's the 'stuff' that worries me."

"Dude, chillax." Mikey insisted. "I doubt they're gonna do 'stuff'. Not while Raph's in danger."

"I suppose you're right…" Donnie relented. "But even so."

Mikey groaned.

"Now I'm wishing I'd been the one partnered with Casey..." he let out.

As they kept walking, some strange vines creeped out from a bush and wrapped around Mikey's legs. He fell forward with a shout, landing flat on his plastron.

"What the shell?" he said as he tried to free his legs from the vines.

Just then, the vines pulled Mikey into the bush screaming. Donnie turned around and chased after Mikey deeper into the woods.

"DONNIE!" Mikey screamed.

"Mikey!" Donnie screamed back.

As Donnie cleared the brush, Mikey was gone. Donnie pulled out his staff and looked around for who or whatever attacked them. He couldn't see anything in a dense forest, and the lack of light left many shadows for any manner of creature to hide in. As Donnie continued to step backwards, he felt himself bump into something large behind him. With a gulp, he slowly looked up, immediately letting a scream as he realized it was the creature. It grabbed him and hauled him off before he even had a chance to defend himself.

…

Meanwhile, Casey and April were searching in their own neck of the woods.

"Man, how big are these woods?" April asked.

"They're pretty big." Casey commented. "My cousin Sid and I used to run around here all the time. Heh, one time we swore we saw Bigfoot, but nobody believed us."

April chuckled at that.

"Considering all we've seen, I'm willing to believe you did." April remarked.

The two of them took a moment to share a laugh.

"Ya know, one time we found an old shed out in the middle of the forest." Casey recalled. "We were so sure it was haunted that we went running for the barn the second we saw it."

"Sounds like you had some fun times out here." April noted.

"Yeah things got pretty fun around here." Casey agreed.

About that time, a strange noise emanated from all around them. The two braced themselves as Casey pulled his mask down over his face.

"Please tell me that was Mikey pranking us." April practically begged.

"I hoping so." Casey replied. "Otherwise, I'd be pretty scared right now."

The two jumped at the sound of some rustling leaves nearby. While surveying the area, Casey noticed something in a nearby brush. He pulled out a hockey stick and walked over to it to investigate. As he moves aside some brush with his stick, a massive fist comes out of nowhere and knocked him into a tree.

"April, get out of here! Run!" Casey called out.

"And leave you alone against…" She tried to argue as she finally saw what was coming out of the bush.

The figure then fully emerged, revealing itself to be a large bushy creature in overalls with a bag over its face that had a hold in it for it to see out of.

"Holy Chalupa!" she screamed.

"My thoughts exactly." Casey agreed.

The creature then let out an unearthly howl, shuffling towards the pair. Casey immediately stepped in between the creature and April, raising his hockey stick in defense.

"Run April!" Casey shouted again.

Hesitantly, April bolted out of there as Casey kept smacking the creature with his hockey stick. The thing hardly seemed phased by the wave of attacks being dealt to him. In retaliation, it grabbed Casey by the face, tossing him aside while simultaneously ripping the hockey mask from his face. Looking at it for a second, the creature then pulled the bag off its head and placed the mask on instead.

"Excuse me," Casey said, grunting as he got up. "But that belongs to me."

The creature just turned to Casey, the hockey mask making him appear even more menacing than before. Casey gulped, then raised his hockey stick again. This time, the creature caught it mid-swing, snapping it like a twig. Casey gulped again before being grabbed by the chest and pulled towards the creature.

…

April continued running through the dense woods. The sounds of Casey's screams filled the night air. She kept running, eventually seeing the woods coming to an end and the farmhouse coming into view.

"LEO!" she cried out desperately "LEONARDO!"

"April?" Leo called back, coming out on a crutch.

As April kept running towards him, a pair of vines came out of nowhere and wrapped around her legs, causing her to fall to the ground. She clawed at the dirt, reaching out for Leo.

"Help me!" she screamed.

"April!" Leo cried out as he tried to follow.

Unfortunately, his bad leg gave out and he fell to the ground, only being able to watch as April was dragged back into the woods.

"LEO!" she screamed, her voice growing more and more distant as she vanished into the darkness.

"NOOO!" Leo screamed.

Leo slammed his fist on the ground in fury.

"This can't be happening!" Leo let out. "I get my shell kicked by the Foot, I lose my friends, I don't even have my-"

Leo was cut off by some light reflecting in his eye. He covered his face to see it was coming from the barn. Slowly, he got to his feet and hobbled over. Once there, he opened the barn door and saw a new pair of katana swords laying on a work table, much to his surprise.

"My swords?" He let out.

Beside the swords was a note, written in Donnie's handwriting.

"Glad to have you back, Leo. -D"

Leo briefly smiled at the prospect, but the reality of the situation quickly returned to him.

"What are you thinking Leo?" he asked himself. "You can't fight… whatever that is."

Suddenly, another thought came to mind, causing his doubts to be pushed aside.

"Leg or no leg… my family needs me."

…

Sometime later, Donnie slowly regained consciousness. He groaned slightly as he was greeted by a rather angry Raphael.

"Well it's about time you woke up, I've been waiting." he remarked.

"Raph?" Donnie groaned. "What the shell's going on?"

"Still working out the details," Raph shared. "But whatever that creep that grabbed me is, he seems to be after mutagen."

"That doesn't explain why he grabbed us..." Casey moaned, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "I mean, we ain't mutants."

"I don't get it either." Donnie admitted. "Unless…"

"Unless what, Donnie?" April insisted.

"Unless that creature is able to sense the mutagen present in our systems." Donnie hypothesized. "And since you two have spent so much time with us, some of our latent mutagen must have rubbed off on you. In a way… I guess you could say we imprinted on you."

"Great." Casey remarked. "I feel so much closer to you guys."

Just then, the creature entered whatever room they were in.

"AAAHH!" Mikey let out. "The Creep!"

"The Creep?" Raph repeated.

"Yeah that's what I'm calling him." Mikey told him.

"Eh, not one of your best." Donnie admitted.

"Is this really the time to be debating the name of the monster about to do shell knows what to us?!" Raph snapped.

As they were talking, the Creep placed something on a work table. Donnie took a look and saw it was the mutagen medicine he gave to Leo.

"Well now we know how that thing developed a taste for the ooze." Donnie surmised.

"Yeah… and we're full of it!" Mikey squeaked.

Donnie gulped in horror.

"This does not bode well." he let out.

Not feeling favor with the situation either, Raph reached into one of his wrist straps and pulled out a kunai knife, which he then used to start cutting the restraints. While he was cutting, the Creep started making his way towards the turtles, with tentacle like vies coming out of his arm. The sight made everyone lurch back in horror.

"Um… if anyone wants to make some heroic move and do something now would be the time." April shared.

"One step ahead of you." Raph replied.

With one final cut, Raph was able to break out of the vines holding him. As he landed on the ground, he threw the knife at the head of the Creep.

"Hey, easy on the mask there Raph!" Casey called out as Raph reclaimed his sai.

'"Casey, we can buy you a new mask!" April snapped. "Kick his butt, Raph!"

"I always wanted to go three rounds with Jason." Raph remarked, spinning his sai.

Raph then charged at the Creep and kicked him in the chest, knocking him through the door and outside. Raph followed and found they were being held in a shed in the middle of the woods. Ignoring it for now, Raph turned back to the Creep, who was getting back to his feet and was wielding a pitchfork. Raph just smirked as he spun his weapon again.

"Ready when you are, tough guy." Raph challenged.

The Creep then swung the pitchfork at Raph's head, causing him to duck under it. The Creep then tried to swing at his chest, but Raph just jumped into the air towards him. Raph attempted to bring his sai down on him, but the Creep blocked them with the pitchfork. He then shoved Raph off, causing him to back flip through the air and land on the ground. Thinking fast, Raph threw one of his sai at the Creep, embedding it into the creature's eye. The Creep clutched his eye in pain as Raph ran towards him. The Creep then shot out its tentacle vines at Raph, pinning him to a tree. The Creep then began sucking the mutagen out of Raph, making him cry out in pain. The others heard this and winced at the sound of his screams.

"He's killing him!" Mikey let out.

"Raph!" Donnie yelled.

Before the Creep could complete his task, something sharp was tossed at the vine, severing it cleanly. The sharp object embedded itself in a nearby tree, revealing to be a throwing star. As Raph fell to the ground, both he and the Creep turned to see Leo, both brandishing a crutch and carrying his new swords on his back.

"Give me back my family freak." Leo demanded.

"Leo?" Raph let out.

"Leo!" Everyone else shouted in shock and relief.

"Raph, free the others." Leo instructed, dropping his crutch and pulling out his swords. "I'll hold this thing off."

"You sure?" he asked.

"Go!" Leo yelled.

Raph turned and did as he was told, unable to keep the smirk of his face at the sight of his brother prepared to kick shell. The Creep lumbered towards Leo, ready to finish him as well. Leo took a slice at the Creep, but the Creep just dodged it. It then back handed Leo, knocking him to the ground. As the thing got closer, Leo took a sword and stabbed it in the leg. The Creep practically fell over in pain.

"Now you know how I feel." Leo remarked before punching him in the face and knocking the mask off.

The creature then turned back to Leo, showing off its disfigured face. The Creep then grabbed Leo by the throat and began strangling him. Leo grabbed hold of the hand trying to pry it off, but to no avail. Suddenly, a chain wrapped around the Creeps neck, causing it to let go of Leo. The blue turtle slumped to the ground as Donnie and Raph grabbed hold of the Creep and threw him against a tree, allowing Mikey to tie it up.

"That should hold him." Mikey reassured.

The others smiled as Raph and April helped Leo to his feet.

"You good bro?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, just a little sore." Leo replied before clutching his chest a bit. "Ok a lot sore. How about you?"

"Just a little woozy, I'll live." Raph reassured. "What should we do with that thing?"

"Leave that to me." Donnie declared.

…

Sometime later back at the barn, Donnie finally finished draining the mutagen out of The Creep, returning it to merely swamp goo once again.

"So that's it?" Mikey asked. "That's what's left of the Creep?"

"Yup." Donnie confirmed. "Just make sure no additional mutagen gets in contact with him, and he'll never cause us any trouble again."

"Good." Raph replied. "I only need the threat of having my life force drained once."

"I'm just glad Leo showed up when he did." April remarked.

"Hey, you guys needed me." Leo dismissed. "Any of you would have done the same."

"Yeah, well just make sure you take it easy for a while." Raph remarked. "We need our fearless leader in one piece when we get back."

"Right." Leo agreed. "We still have bad guys to bust."

…

Back in New York, Lisa was sitting on her rooftop overlooking the city. Raphael and the turtles had been missing for weeks, and she was starting to get worried. She got up and was about to head back inside when something zipped past her.

"Gangway!" a voice called out.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Watch where you're… skating?"

The boarder put the brakes on his ride and turned around, revealing to be Mondo Gecko. He was able to recognize the voice, but the face he saw was unbelievable.

"Lisa?" he let out. "Lisa Monogamy?"

"Mark?" Lisa asked in reply. "Mark from English class?"

"No way!" Mondo cried out running over to her.

"You- You're a gecko!" Lisa exclaimed.

"And you're a salamander. Your point?" he countered.

"Fair enough." she replied. "Look at you. Last I heard, your parents kicked you out after you dropped out of school."

"Yeah… but I met these homeless guys who took me in." he shared. "Then I met these cool turtles, got captured by aliens,-"

"Wait, you know the turtles?" Lisa interrupted. "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"

"You know any other turtles that can kick butt like they can?" Mondo questioned.

"Again, fair enough." Lisa allowed. "Dude, do you know where they are? Raph and his bros just dropped off the face of the Earth. I stopped by the joint they were crashing in… but it was gone."

"Gone?" he asked.

"Burned to the ground." She answered. "No one's answering my calls… I'm scared. Please tell me you know something."

"No." he said sorrowfully. "Believe me I wish I did."

Lisa sighed, then slid to the ground and buried her face in her hands as unbidden tears threatened to fall. Mondo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey don't worry." he reassured. "Those guys are as tough as they come. Wherever they are, they'll be fine."

Lisa sniffed, pulling her face from her hands as she looked out at the stars.

"I hope you're right, Mark." she said quietly. "I hope you're right."

"Trust me." he told her. "There's-"

Before he could finish, a low rumbling sound started emanating out around them. Both Mondo and Lisa looked up to see what looked like a lighting storm forming on the street. Just then, a large pink triangle sprang out, and from it, several Kraang droids marched out. Not long after exiting the portal, the Kraang began opening fire on everything in sight. The two mutants immediately ducked for cover.

"What in the name of all things divine are those things?!" Lisa exclaimed.

"The Kraang!" Mondo answered. "I've seen those things before. Not friendly, believe me."

"I have to get my mom." Lisa insisted. "We have to get out of the city."

"I know somewhere we can go." Mondo told her. "We'll grab your mom and lay low there. Hopefully we can get out before those brain blobs realize we were here."

The two then made their way to the edge of the rooftop and leapt off, making their way to the street below. Thankfully, Lisa's apartment was not too far, and their lizard mutations allowed them to easily scale the wall.

"Mom!" Lisa shouted as she entered the apartment. "Mom wake up! We have to run!"

M.s Monogamy suddenly jerked up at the sound of her daughters yelling. She barely had time to get out of bed before the two lizards busted through the door.

"Mom, aliens are invading the city and we have to get the hell out of here now!" Lisa yelled, grabbing her mom's arm.

The three then made their way down the stairs and out the front door. As they made it out, they saw more portals opening across the city, ejecting more soldiers, scout ships, and even specialized Kraang walkers, marching through the city and destroying any resistance.

"This… this is madness." Ms. Monogamy let out.

"Mark, you said you had somewhere safe to lay low." Lisa remarked, turning to Mondo frantically. "Where is it and how do we get there?"

"Follow me!" he said, gesturing down the street.

With that, the three made their way through the city dodging around the endless Kraang droids and oncoming blaster fire. One walker seemed to be following them, but Mondo got an idea as he saw an abandoned moped. He quickly ran over to it and turned it on before sending it rolling into the walker's path. The walker stepped on it and caused it to blow up, making the walker fall over itself.

"YEAH!" Mondo let out as they kept running. "Take that ya alien freaks!"

"Nice one Mark!" Lisa complimented.

"Just call me Mondo." Mondo replied. "It's short for Mondo Gecko, my mutant name."

"Mona Lisa." Lisa replied.

As the three rounded the next corner, what they say next horrified them to the bone. Not more aliens, but the menacing figure of the Shredder standing on some fallen debris with Bebop and Rocksteady on either side of him. None knew why, but this one man's presence terrified them more than any Kraang present. One glare from his eyes was enough to make them continue running. At that moment, Shredder received a communication from an ear piece inside his helmet.

"The troops are ready master." Nakumo informed him.

"Then make it happen." He ordered.

…

Along the edge of the city, several Kraang droids and Foot ninjas placed specialized mutagen bombs at strategic places along the city. Once they received the go ahead, the bombs were activated. As the bombs exploded, they released large amounts of ooze into the air, solidifying into a large crystal wall that surrounded the city on all sides. This was noticed by Mondo, Lisa, and her mom as they approached.

"Oh no!" Mondo let out. "We're trapped!"

…

In a different part of town, Kirby bat concealed himself in a dark alleyway, hiding himself from the onslaught of Kraang forces pouring in. While his primal mind couldn't fully comprehend the severity of the situation, one thought kept coming to his mind.

 _"April…"_

…

Looking out the window of a concealed office complex, Mortu could do little but watch as New York was cut off from the rest of the world, and now in the hands of the Kraang. The guardian walked up to him as continued to stand.

"They need us out there." The guardian told him.

"Then you know what you have to do." Mortu replied.

The guardian bowed in response before walking back out.

"Be careful out there!" Mortu called out. "We've lost enough guardians as is…."

…

Back with Shredder, Nakumo landed right in front of him and bowed in respect.

"The deed is done Master." Nakumo reported. "New York is completely cut off from the outside world. The city, is ours."

"Excellent." Shredder replied as he surveyed the now alien controlled city. "Since I was a boy, I have seen this very vision. The world… in chaos."


	33. HATE

_Donatello checking in. Throughout my life as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, I've done more than my fair share of crazy stunts. Today's stunt though, definitely takes the cake. I'm riding in the back of a semi-truck, one my brother Raph is currently trying to hijack, attempting to defuse a nuclear bomb set to detonate at any minute. Some days, it just doesn't pay to come out of your shell._

...

Three months had passed since the group arrived at the farmhouse. Most of their time was spent training, fixing the place up, and working on Leo's recovery, with the occasional episode of Crognard sprinkled in. Today, Leo decided to try some training out in the field. Once he got off the porch, he set his crutch aside and pulled out his swords. He then began swinging them with high precision and grace. He felt as though he was one with his swords again. He was so lost in thought, he didn't hear April and Casey walking outside.

"Hey Leo!" April called out, getting the blue turtles attention. "Looking good."

"Thanks." Leo replied. "Guess I just needed a little rest and recuperation."

"Told ya." She reminded.

"Well if you need a sparring partner to make sure your skills ain't rusty, I'm more than willing to lend a hand." Casey offered, swinging a hockey stick. "I'll even go easy on ya if you want."

Leo chuckled a bit.

"Don't do me any favors Jones." he remarked.

With that, Casey jumped down off the porch and started swinging his stick at Leo. The blue turtle was easily able to block the oncoming attacks with his swords. Leo tried swinging a strike himself, but Casey was able to block it and tried to sweep his legs. Leo however, just jumped over it and tried kicking Casey in the face. Unfortunately, the leg he used to kick was his bad one, and the pain immediately returned to him upon impact. Leo yelled out in pain as he fell to the ground, dropping his swords as well.

"Leo!" April yelped, darting to his side after grabbing his crutch. "Leo, are you okay?"

"Yeah I guess," Leo replied, taking his crutch for support. "Guess I'm not as better as I thought."

"It'll happen Leo." April reassured, helping him to his feet. "You just need a little more time."

"I suppose so." Leo mumbled. "So where's everyone else?"

"I sent Don out to get some apples so I could make my mom's special apple pie." April answered. "I think Mikey and Raph went with him."

"I think Raph said something about settling a bet before he left." Casey recalled.

…

An arrow pierced through the crisp red skin of an apple, pinning it to the tree directly behind it. Standing in front of said tree with perhaps the most annoyed expression on his face, Donnie crossed his arms at his brothers, both of whom were wielding bows and arrows.

"Are we done here?" he questioned.

"You kidding?" Raph replied. "We're just getting started."

"Yeah, it's time for the blindfolded round." Mikey added, turning his mask around.

"Oh know you don't." Donnie declared, snatching his brother's mask off of his face and picking up the only whole apple left. "After 36 consecutive ties, I am officially calling this match a draw. Besides, April needs at least a few apples intact, and I don't think that means having arrows-"

Before he could finish, another arrow went flying through the apple, embedding it into a tree. Donnie turned to his brothers even more irritated than before.

"He did it." Mikey quickly called out, pointing to Raph.

Donnie was seconds from shouting at both of his brothers, but then he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. His Bo staff was out in a second, Raph and Mikey both aiming their pre-knocked arrows at the tremoring foliage. Just then, a man came tumbling out of the brush and onto the ground in front of them. As he collided with the ground, his glasses bounced across the dirt and at the feet of the turtles.

"W-who's there?" the man stammered. "I-I can't see without my glasses."

Mikey took note of that, then his eyes drifted down to the glasses at his feet. He stepped forward, crushing them beneath his foot.

"Oops." he said.

Donnie knelt down beside the man, helping him up.

"What happened?" he questioned. "Are you okay?"

"No…" the man replied, "They've lost it… it was never meant to go this far… and now they… they got a bomb…"

"A bomb?!" The three turtles exclaimed.

"You gotta stop them… stop them before… they…"

Before he could finish, the man slipped into unconsciousness.

"Is…" Mikey started to ask. "Is he…?"

"No, he's still alive." Donnie reassured. "But he's hurt pretty bad. I think he's been shot."

"Aw shell..." Mikey whimpered. "What do we do, Don?"

"And what was that bomb they were talking about?" Raph wondered.

"He went this way!" a voice called out.

This raised some serious alarms for the turtles.

"Sounds like someone's looking to finish the job." Raph guessed.

"See if you can take care of those guys." Donnie told them. "I'll do what I can for him here."

Raph and Mikey nodded before moving out. As the other two went to deal with the oncoming forces Donnie pulled the injured man behind some bushes and began to treat his wounds.

…

A short distance away, two armed men began combing the forest in search of their quarry.

"Hey don't you think this is a bit wrong?" one of the guys asked. "Hunting one of our own?"

"Hey you know what Skonk said," The second one replied. "Joining Humans Against The Extraterrestrials is a lifetime commitment. He made his choice. Besides, we've come too far to let this guy ruin everything."

"You're right." The first one relented. "You go east, I'll search the west."

The two then diverged, each one on the lookout for their rogue teammate. The first one made his way through a grove of trees, checking all around him for any sign of his target. He was completely unaware however, of the looming figure of Raphael stalking him through the trees. Still armed with his bow and arrow, he let out a shot, knocking the gun out of his hands, much to his panic.

"Who's there?!" he cried out, reaching for a handgun.

Before he could pull it out, Raph jumped out of the trees and landed right in front of him, still in the shadows. He then pulled out another arrow and aimed it at hm.

"Scumbag," he called out. "You have failed this city!"

He let loose the arrow, catching his sleeve and pinning him to the tree. He tried to pull himself free as Raph walked up to him.

"Or forest, in this case." Raph joked before punching the guy out.

As Raph was doing all this, the second guy spotted him and readied his weapon to fire. Before he could take the shot however, the gun was snatched out of his hands. He turned around to see Mikey holding it.

"Hey, didn't your mom warn you about these?" he asked, jokingly. "You'll shoot your eye out."

"Stay back!" the guy warned backing up. "We're onto you ET!"

"ET. Phone home." Mikey quoted walking closer to him.

"Don't come any closer." the guy insisted, pulling out a nunchaku. "I'm warning you."

"Oooooh." Mikey let out, smirking. "A fellow chucker eh?"

Mikey then proceeded to pull out his own nunchaku and spin it around at intense speed, much to the surprise of the man before him.

"Come on, show me what you got?" Mikey challenged.

The man blinked, then began to clumsily spin the chucks, more than once whacking himself on the arm.

"Oh well, keep practicing." Mikey told him before extending his chain and knocking the man out.

Once the men were down and out, Mikey and Raph reconvened with Donnie, who had just finished bandaging the man up.

"How is he Don?" Raph asked.

"He'll live." Don told him. "But he needs real medical attention if he's gonna get any better."

"I can take him in the truck." Mikey volunteered.

"Meanwhile, you and I should probably look into the bomb he was talking about." Donnie suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." Raph agreed.

"Think we should tell Leo?" Mikey asked.

"Leo's still recovering, and if we tell him, he'll push himself beyond what he is currently capable of." Donnie argued. "Besides, I'm sure Casey and April are keeping Leo busy."

"Then let's get busy ourselves." Raph declared.

…

Back at the farmhouse, April sat out on the porch, looking out at the warm, green grass. She took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air that was completely devoid of any smog or air pollution.

"You know, I've lived in New York my entire life, and I never thought the air could be so… clean." she said to herself, unaware of Casey emerging from the farmhouse.

"Yeah it's pretty nice out here isn't it?" He agreed.

April smiled, then she scooted over on the porch swing she was sitting on, making room for Casey.

"You know what the best part about being up here is?"

"What?"

"I don't have to listen to cars honking all day and night."

As if on cue, a loud horn suddenly honked, signaling the arrival of an old car. It pulled right up to the front of the farmhouse, coming to a stop just inches away from the front porch.

"What the-?" April let out, rising to her feet. "Who is that?"

The car's engine died, and from the driver's seat emerged an older woman with a muscular frame, long black hair, and a gaze that was harder than half of the bad guys April had encountered.

"Arnold, you just gonna stand there or are ya gonna give your mother a hand over here?" the woman snapped in a raspy voice.

"Mom?!" Casey let out, making his way to her car. "W-what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" she repeated. "Haven't you been watching the news? The city's not safe anymore. Once those weird aliens showed up, I hightailed it out of the city and made my way here. Figured the old farmhouse was as good a place as any to hunker down."

Casey's mom then turned toward April, her eyes narrowing a bit.

"And just who is this, Arnold?" she questioned.

April joined Casey, offering her hand.

"My name's April O'Neil." she offered. "I'm Casey's-"

"Fiancée!" Casey abruptly interjected.

April's words died on her tongue a Casey's mom crossed her arms.

"Fiancée, huh?" she asked, giving April an incredulous look. "Is that so?"

"Yeah we… got engaged last week." Casey told her.

"Did ya now?" Casey's mom said, keeping her arms crossed. "Then why don't I see a ring, Arnold?"

Casey was at a loss for words, but surprisingly, April quickly answered for him.

"I took it off because I was about to go out and pick some apples for an apple pie." she replied. "I didn't want to risk losing it."

Casey's mom gave a single nod, then turned towards her trunk.

"How about I save you the trouble of picking those apples." she declared, opening the trunk to reveal several baskets full of fresh apples. "There was a vendor along the road that was selling these cheap. Go on and move them into the barn while Arnold here helps me with my suitcase."

"Uh… sounds good but…" Casey began to speak.

"Good, now get moving." Casey's mom interrupted. "Those baskets aren't going to move themselves."

She made her way inside, the door slamming behind her. The second it did, Leo practically materialized beside the two, giving Casey a weird look.

"That's your mom?" he asked.

The two jumped a bit before turning to him.

"How can you pull those ninja moves with a bum leg?" Casey asked.

"Not easily I assure you." Leo told him. "But back to the matter at hand."

"Yeah, like why you told your mother I was your fiancée." April snapped. "You better have a good reason, Jones."

"Look, my mom is the stickler to end all sticklers." Casey told them. "If she knew I was up here with just some woman, no offense-"

"How am I not supposed to be offended?" April questioned coldly.

"My point is, she would have been on me like a pack of wolves." Casey insisted. "Besides, I actually want my mom to like you."

April sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Fine." she allowed. "But only because we can't afford to try and find somewhere else to lay low."

She grabbed one of the baskets of apples, surprised by how heavy they were. Leo grabbed two of them, making sure to lean on his good leg as he helped April take them into the barn. Casey watched them go, then rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hope the others are having a better time than me right now." he muttered.

…

Meanwhile, Donnie and Raph found a set of footprints leading through the woods.

"Sometimes it's just too easy." Raph commented.

"For now." Donnie reminded. "Need I remind you we don't know how many of these lunatics we're dealing with, and they're playing with some very dangerous toys?"

"Hey, I ain't afraid of em." Raph remarked.

Finally, they came up to a clearing, where some kind of old ranch had been converted into what could only be described as a post-apocalyptic gathering place. There were old pickups, dune buggies, ATVs and more strewn about the ranch, and several dozen radical soldiers were gathered up, all of them shouting and raving about aliens.

"Yeesh, these bozos look like they're gearing up for a war or something." Raph commented.

"I think you might be right." Donnie noted.

"My friends," a man with white streaks in his hair, who looked to be the leader of the group, addressed the mob. "Fellow members of H.A.T.E, today is the day we make history. Today, we rid the world of the alien menace! The signs were all there. Aliens involved in street fight, aliens found in sewers, but did they listen to us? No! And now New York City is paying the price!"

"New York?" Raph whispered.

"The Kraang must have finally launched the invasion." Donnie reasoned. "But why wait so long?"

"It's time to wipe out this alien menace at its source!" The leader continued. "And you know what that source is?"

"Um...space?" a member asked.

"No!" The leader replied. "Well, yeah, but no! Here on earth, the source is..."

"... New York City!" They all cried out.

Raph and Donnie both exchanged terrified glances, neither of them liking where this conversation was going.

"Exactly!" the leader replied. "Those freaks have claimed the Big Apple as their kingdom and no one's doing a freaking thing about it! Until now. Now we have the power to blow them all to kingdom come! To reclaim this world for the human race, and show those ET bastards, no one messes with H.A.T.E.!"

While the men were in a massive uproar, Donnie and Raph tried to slink closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was the leader was referring to. The leader then opened the barn doors, revealing a trailer with some kind of bomb inside.

"Guessing we found the bomb the guy was talking about." Raph surmised.

"And these nuts are gonna use it to blow up New York." Donnie added.

...

Back at the farmhouse, April and Leo continued moving the baskets of apples into the barn. Eventually, the two managed to get them into the barn, despite Leo's bad leg. In fact, Leo was able to help out quite a bit, carrying most of the apple baskets himself.

"Thanks for the help, Leo." April said appreciatively.

"Don't mention it." Leo responded, resting on a bale of hay.

April sat down next to him, letting out a groan.

"You know, I've always wondered where Casey got his inexplicable ability to get under people's skin." she mused out loud. "Now I know it's from his mother."

"Guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree." Leo remarked before realizing his words. "Uh, no pun intended."

The door to the barn began to open, and Leo immediately dove into the hay, disappearing seconds before Ms. Jones entered the barn.

"I got all of the apples moved in." April declared, gesturing to the baskets.

Ms. Jones looked at them all, her eyes narrowing and her arms crossing.

"They aren't peeled." she said bluntly.

April paused, unsure of how to react to this sudden declaration.

"Peeled?" She asked.

"Yeah." Ms. Jones replied, pulling a peeler out of her pocket and holding it out for April. "And try not to bruise them up too much."

April wordlessly took the peeler, then Ms. Jones took her leave of the barn. Leo pulled himself from the hay, rejoining April.

"Shall we?" he asked, pulling out a sword.

With a groan, April plopped down in front of the first basket, plucking an apple and beginning her new task.

…

Back at the H.A.T.E. camp, Donnie quietly made his way over to a pile of munitions set out on the ground and began messing around with it. Once he was done, he bolted out of the way and let it blow. The explosion caused the men to run over and find out what happened. While they were distracted, he and Raph made their way inside the barn and towards the semi containing the bomb. They quickly threw the doors open so Don could get inside and take a look at what they were up against.

"Uh oh." he let out.

"Uh oh?" Raph repeated. "Uh ohs are usually pretty bad."

"You'd be right about that." Donnie confirmed. "This isn't just a bomb, it's a thermonuclear device… and it's armed."

"How the shell did these nutjobs get a hold of a nuke?" Raph asked, completely shocked.

"I have no idea." Donnie told him. "But I've got to disarm this thing quick!"

"That's far enough ET scum!" a voice called out.

The two turtles turned to see Skonk, the leader, standing in the doorway aiming a gun at them.

"Thought you could stop me from taking out your stronghold in New York didn't you?" Skonk asked. "Well guess again freaks."

"We're not your enemies." Donnie insisted. "We want to stop the Kraang too."

"But we ain't about to let you nuke Manhattan to do it!" Raph told him. "We happen to have a few friends down there we don't want to get atomized."

"Nice try, but nothings gonna stop me from keeping this planet same for the human race!" Skonk shouted before firing at them.

The two dodged the shots as Donnie leapt forward and used his staff to trip him up. As he sat up to fire again, Raph threw a sai at his gun, disarming him. Skonk just got up and pulled a knife out of his boot and tried slicing at Donatello. Donnie just dodged the attacks before knocking the knife out of his hands.

"The jig is up pal." Donnie told him.

"So why don't you make like a good little H.A.T.E. monger and disarm your nuke there." Raph suggested.

"Why don't you make like a good little alien… and eat this!" Skonk yelled before spraying them with some unknown substance.

While the turtles were coughing and trying to clear their eyes, Skonk made it over to the truck and got in. He then hit the gas, plowing through the barn wall as he drove off.

"This is it for you alien freaks!" Skonk called that. "By the end of the day, every one of your kind will perish!"

Finally, Donnie and Raph were able to clear their eyes enough to see Skonk driving off.

"Well that brings our rep to an all-time low." Raph remarked. "I'm just glad Leo and Mikey weren't here to see that."

"He's already got a head start on us." Donnie lamented. "We'll never catch him now."

Raph looked out onto the field and saw a Humvee just sitting there. A smirk crawled across his face.

"Never say never Don." Raph told him.

…

Even with Leo's help, peeling almost ten baskets full of apples took what felt like hours. Thankfully, the job was finished, and April eagerly showed off the fruits of her labor, no pun intended, to Ms. Jones.

"There you are, Ms. Jones." April declared. "All the apples have been peeled, and I even cored them as well."

Ms. Jones snorted.

"You peeled them all?" she said, shaking her head before bending down to gather up a few of them. "Apple pie only calls for a dozen. And here I thought you had some brains. Might as well press the rest into cider before they rot."

April felt something in her snap and she turned to Ms. Jones with a barely tempered fury.

"Look, I am getting sick and tired of being treated like some sort of servant!" she snapped. "You've done nothing but give me orders and boss me around since you've got here, and frankly, I get enough of that at work! I would prefer to be treated like an adult that happens to care for your son, and I don't think it's too much to ask for a little respect."

Ms. Jones straightened up, taking the dozen apples as she walked out of the barn.

"All that negativity won't get those apples pressed." she called out as she closed the barn door with her foot.

April stood there for a moment, then let out a scream, throwing the peeler at the now closed door. It embedded itself in the wood as Leo came out from where he had been hiding.

"I'll uh… get started on that cider." he remarked.

…

On the road, Donnie and Raph finally caught up to Skonk's truck.

"Those alien bastards don't know when to quit." Skonk commented. "I'll show em. No one messes with Humans Against The Extraterrestrials!"

Skonk started swerving the truck to try and knock them off the road, but the two were able to avoid his attempted collisions.

"This is where you get off!" Raph told him.

"Great, jumping from a speeding vehicle to a semi carrying a nuke, that's how I intended to spend my afternoon!" Donnie let out.

"Just go already!" Raph yelled.

"Keep her steady." Donnie told him as he got onto the front of the Humvee.

Donnie then inched himself out further and further onto the Humvee until he got to the edge of the hood. Finally, he made a leap out onto the semi, just barely grabbing on.

"I'm starting to know what a certain cowboy doll feels like." Donnie commented before pulling himself up.

Donnie then opened up the back of the truck and made his way to the bomb.

"Ok Don, you can do this." he told himself. "You just have to remove the plutonium core of a nuclear bomb at 90 miles an hour with a maniac at the wheel. How hard can it be?"

While Donnie set out to work, Raph continued driving alongside Skonk. Finally getting close enough, Raph got out and made a jump for it, grabbing hold of the trucks door. The Humvee however careened out of control until it crashed through the guardrail and down to the ravine below, where it instantaneously exploded. Skonk saw this and thought Raph had died in the blast.

"Another ET bites the dust." he commented.

"Bite this wackbag!" Raph cried out, climbing inside and socking Skonk in the face.

As the two tussled in the cab, the truck kept swerving on the road, causing a hard time for Donatello.

"Great, like this wasn't hard enough!" Donnie cried out as he was working on what wire to cut. "Alright Don, you can do this. Just concentrate and-"

Unfortunately, one swerve caused him to cut a wire he wasn't intending to cut. He looked over at the bomb and saw that the timer had started with 20 seconds on the clock.

"Oh shell." Donnie let out.

Donnie ran to the back of the trailer, hoping Raph could hear him up in the cab.

"Raph!" Donnie cried out. "The nuke's been activated! Get out of there!"

"Just a sec!" Raph replied before punching Skonk in the face.

This seemed to knock the mad man out, much to Raph's delight. Raph grabbed him and jumped out of the cab, rolling onto the grass nearby. Back in the trailer, Donnie took a few steps back before taking a running start and leaping out of the trailer.

"Booyakasha!" Donnie yelled as he dove out of the trailer.

As he made contact with the ground, the bomb went off, blowing up the truck and sending out a shockwave that knocked Donnie back a bit so he landed next to Raph and Skonk. The purple turtle slowly got up as he groaned in pain.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yeah," Raph confirmed, sounding a little confused. "But… shouldn't we be vaporized or something."

"Probably," Donnie confirmed, holding up a special container. "If I hadn't removed the plutonium core."

Raph couldn't help but smirk at the results.

…

A bit later, Raph and Donnie used the rope from their grappling hooks to tie up Skonk in preparation for the authorities.

"Well, it's a long walk back to the farmhouse." Donnie commented.

As they walked, they heard something coming up behind them. They turned to see an old truck driving down the road and stopping right in front of them. The driver's seat window rolled down to reveal Mikey, who had finished dropping off the injured man some time ago.

"You guys need a lift?" he asked smiling.

…

Casey walked into the kitchen of the farmhouse, his arms full with bags of groceries. His mom had sent him out for supplies not long after her arrival. He was more than a bit nervous about how his mom and April had gotten along, especially when he saw the strained look on April's face as she scrubbed away at some dirty dishes.

"Uh, hey April." he called out nervously. "How are you and my mom doing?"

"The good news is we haven't killed each other yet." April replied curtly, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "The bad news, that might change soon if she keeps treating me like a-"

"Arnold Casey Jones Jr!" Ms. Jones declared as she entered the kitchen. "I have only one thing to say!"

Both Casey and April turned towards her, surprised to see her carrying both a slice of fresh apple pie, as well as a glass of cider.

"I really like this girl!" she proclaimed. "She passed the strength test, the patience test, the endurance test, the assertiveness test, and she makes a mean glass of apple cider."

"You- You mean it, ma?" Casey asked.

"Of course I do." She replied, setting both the plate and the glass aside. "So you better make her your actual fiancée soon, or I'll have to throttle ya."

Both Casey and April blinked.

"Wait, you knew?!" Casey exclaimed.

Ms. Jones chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Arnold, I'm your mother." she told him. "You've never been able to pull one on me. Not when you were a kid, not with April, and not even with the weird turtle creature with the bad leg hiding behind the firewood."

Outside the window, behind the stack of firewood, Leo went stock still. Ms. Jones walked over to the window, opening it.

"Get in here and try some of this pie." she told him. "I ain't gonna bite."

Leo stood up, pulling himself in through the window.

"Uh, thanks Ms. Jones." He told her.

"Don't sweat it." she dismissed.

"Um, Ms. Jones." April began. "Please don't tell anyone about him."

"Don't worry dear." Ms. Jones assured her. "My lips are sealed. Besides, there's no one I can really tell, not with all of New York being taken over by those freaky aliens."

"Wait, what?!" Leo let out.

"I thought that was why Arnold and April were out here." Ms. Jones commented nonchalantly. "The city's been overrun by these strange brain-like aliens."

"The Kraang." Leo let out.

Just then, the door flew open as Donnie, Raph, and Mikey poured in.

"Guys, there's something important you have to-" Donnie tried to tell them, but seeing Ms. Jones killed the words before they could exit his mouth. "... Tell...you…"

"You don't say." April replied.


	34. Vision Quest

_This is Leonardo, and I have come to learn that we are all faced with tests in life. Challenges that force us to reach deep inside ourselves and give everything we have, and then some. Anything less than your best won't get the job done. These kinds of tests can either break us, or make us stronger, showing us who we really are._

 _Of course, when your challenge is fighting Foot Ninja over a rope bridge that leads to certain doom, your first concern is if you'll live long enough._

...

The four turtles gathered in front of the TV in the living room of the farmhouse, watching the latest episode of Crognard the Barbarian. On the screen, Crognard was facing off against a strange, cloaked figure that was floating in front of him. He hacked away at the figure with his sword, but the blows were not having any effect on it whatsoever.

 _"How is it that you are not felled by the might of Crognard?!"_ the cartoon barbarian demanded. _"None have ever survived against my steel."_

 _"That is because I am not alive!"_ the figure declared, pulling the cloak away to reveal a ghostly king, hovering before Crognard.

 _"It is Pariah Dark, the Ghost King!"_ The wizardess declared.

 _"Smooch, Smooch!"_ Smooch whimpered. _"You cannot kill what is already dead!"_

"Now that's what I call, cheating." Mikey commented. "How can you fight a ghost? It's impossible!"

"Tell that to Peter Venkman and Ray Stantz." Donnie countered.

Before the cartoon could continue, the screen fizzled before a news broadcast took over the TV.

 _"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this special bulletin."_ A news anchor declared.

"Awww man." Mikey let out.

"Shh" Leo hushed. "I want to hear this."

 _"All of New York City has been surrounded by a seemingly impenetrable wall of strange, pink crystals, making entering and exiting the city impossible. Air support has been called in to try and aid the citizens of New York, but all aircrafts have been shot down by the aliens and their superior technology."_

The TV began playing footage of all of the aircraft being destroyed by Kraang lasers, eliciting hisses of pain from all of the turtles.

 _"We will have more as this story develops, this is Carlos Chiang O'Brian Gambe for Channel 6 news."_

"Well I think it's safe to say we're screwed." Raph commented.

"Don't talk like that, Raphael." Leo chastised him. "There's always chance."

"What chance?" Raph responded. "In case you forgot, in addition to the Kraang taking over the city, The Shredder kicked our shells, gave you that bum leg, and killed-"

Raph stopped himself before he could continue, leaving Leo to wonder what he was going to say.

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked. "Who did Shredder kill?"

The silence of the living room was deafening, none of his brothers meeting his eyes. Finally, Donnie spoke up.

"Back at April's place… before it went up in flames, Raph asked Shredder about- About Splinter."

"What did he say?" Leo asked.

"He…" Donnie continued. "He said that… he…

"He said that Master Splinter's bones were resting at the bottom of the sewer." Raph snapped, his eyes misty and his knuckles a lighter shade of green from how tightly they were clenched. "That's what he said, okay?"

Leo was in shock. He could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"No…" Leo let out. "No he's lying. Splinter's alive. He has to be!"

"Leo," Donnie interrupted. "We searched for him for weeks. And you remember what happened with Falco's machine. Maybe the reason he couldn't find him… was there was nothing to find."

Leo had heard enough. He got to his feet, stumbling towards the door and fumbling for the knob. After a second, he got it open and he took off into the woods.

"Leo!" Mikey called out.

"Let him go." Raph told him, grabbing his shoulder. "He… he just needs time to process this."

"In the meantime, we need to make plans for the three of us to get back into the city." Donnie decided.

"Three of us?" Raph repeated. "What about Leo?"

"I hate to be the one to say it," Donnie lamented. "But in his present condition, Leo's only gonna slow us down."

…

After hobbling a ways into the woods, Leo took out a katana and began practicing with it, venting his frustrations with each swing.

"They're wrong!" he let out. "Splinter's alive! He has to be!"

After one swing, he moved his bad leg to get a better stance, only for the pain to return and cause his weight to give out under him. Leo fell to the ground and rolled down the hill he was on right into a tree, causing him to cry out in pain. He quickly straightened out and sat up so he could rub his leg, hitting the tree with his fist in frustration.

"Come on!" Leo yelled. "Why aren't you getting any better? Why can't I get past this? Why can't I help my brothers… or Splinter."

Leo leaned back against the tree, his eyes slowly drooping.

"Splinter… Splinter…"

Leo then slipped into a trance. His mind wandering through random thoughts passing through his mind. Until suddenly,

 _"...Leonardo."_

Leo's snapped back awake as he sat back up. He wasn't sure where that voice came from, but the knowledge of whose voice it was caused him to smile.

"Splinter."

…

Back at the farmhouse, the turtles, April, and Casey got to work making plans of how to infiltrate New York.

"Alright, we know that a wall of Kraang Crystals has completely surrounded the city." Donnie informed. "Trapping everyone inside, and every air based infiltration has been met with disaster."

"Meaning if we want to find a way into the city, we need to get through those Kraang Crystals." Raph remarked.

"You said they were weak to sonic vibrations, right?" April asked.

"Yeah" Mikey asked. "Can't we just crank the volume on some sound thingy and just blast out way in?"

"We could, and we would end up blowing up all of New York!" Donnie told them. "As well as, well, everyone in it."

"So how are we gonna get in?" April asked.

"Well Casey and I have been working on something that might-"

Before Donnie finish, the door to the farmhouse was thrown open as a frantic Leo came stumbling in.

"He's alive!" He exclaimed.

The others dashed over to his side and helped stabilize him.

"Leo," Donnie said. "Take it easy man."

"Yeah, maybe running off with a bum leg was a bad idea." Raph remarked.

"Guys, Splinter's alive!" Leo reiterated. "He's okay!"

"Oh boy," Donnie let out. "Look Leo, we all want to think he's alive but-"

"I don't think Donnie, I don't think!" Leo interrupted. "I know."

"Yeah, how?" Raph asked. "We haven't found a sign of him for months. He couldn't be found by a machine 'designed' to find rats, and the last clue we did find was that he was axed off by our arch enemy, SO HOW THE SHELL COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW THAT HE'S STILL ALIVE!"

Leo just remained silent for a moment before responding.

"I heard him." he told them.

"Huh?" they all let out.

…

That night, Leo gathered his brothers around a campfire at the spot where he heard Splinter's voice.

"When I was out here earlier I was in a pretty low state." he explained. "So I cleared my mind of all present thoughts and distractions, and somehow I was able to hear Splinter. Don't ask me to explain how it was just… like he was here with me."

"I'm warning you now Leo," Raph told him. "If you dragged us all the way out here for nothing-"

"Chillax Raph," Mikey let out, roasting a bag of marshmallows and roasting a few. "I came prepared."

"Would you put those away?!" Leo told him.

Mikey grumbled a bit before complying.

"Fine." he muttered, crossing his arms irritably "Party pooper."

"Now everyone close your eyes and concentrate." Leo told them. "Concentrate hard."

Leo quickly assumed a meditative position, already knowing what to do. Mikey was next to try this, still secretly hoping for a chance to see Splinter again. Hesitantly, Donnie was next to do this, thinking it folly but willing to give it a shot anyway. Raph still wasn't sure what to make of this, but since Leo felt so strongly about it, he decided to give in and try anyway. As they all sat there, everything was quiet. Nothing broke the concentration of the four brothers. Unbeknownst to them, their fire started flickering with blue flame. Suddenly, the fire sprang up, catching the attention of the four. They looked up to see the fire forming some kind of shape, the shape of a ghostly Master Splinter. The turtles just sat there in awe, finally seeing something resembling their master again.

"M-Master Splinter?" Donnie let out.

"Sensei…" Raph said in awe.

"Father." Leo spoke, feeling overjoyed.

 _"Greetings my sons."_ Splinter greeted.

"Sensei…" Mikey let out. "I can't believe it's you! Are you a… a ghost?"

 _"No Michelangelo. My spirit is only temporarily detached from my body. Rest assured, that body still lives."_

"You...you really are alive." Raph rationalized, barely able to comprehend it.

"I knew it!" Leo exclaimed. "I knew you were alive! Where are you? Let us help you."

 _"You cannot."_ Splinter told them. _"Not yet. You have been beaten by much, and have much to overcome. Until you have mastered your spiritual challenges, you will never stand a chance against the Shredder."_

"But Sensei," Leo spoke. "My injury isn't spiritual, it's physical. Until I heal I'm useless to the team. I'm-"

Splinter stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder

 _"We choose what holds us back and what moves us forward."_ He told Leonardo.

Leo looked at his Sensei, then the worry in his eyes melted away, giving way for a look of determination.

"What do we have to do?" he asked.

 _"Each of you must journey out alone on a vision quest to face your spiritual adversary."_ He instructed before turning to Raph. _"Raphael, your temper is like a fire. Left unchecked, it will consume everything it touches. But when you focus and channel this power, it can be a devastating weapon."_

He then turned to Mikey, who was still in awe over Splinter's fiery form.

 _"Michelangelo,"_ He spoke, getting Mikey's attention. _"Your mind is overrun with distractions. You must learn to be focused and calm, like the forest."_

He then turned to Donnie.

 _"Donatello, you rely too much on your mind, and not on your body. Be strong, like the mountain."_

Finally, he faced Leo, who seemed the most in need of guidance.

 _"Leonardo, you must be the leader in body and spirit. Be like the wind. Let nothing hold you back."_

They all nodded in response.

 _"Rest now, my sons. For tomorrow, you face your greatest trial on the spiritual plane. Be warned, the challenges you face there will be just as deadly as those you face in the real world. But I have every confidence in your skills, and your capability to succeed. So, I leave you now with this final message."_

Splinter then started to fade out as he spoke his final words.

 _"I love you all, my sons…"_

With that, Splinter was gone, and the campfire returned to normal. The turtles just sat there, overwhelmed by the emotions each of them were feeling at the moment. Finally, Leo wiped his eyes and straightened up, looking more like his old self than he had in a long time.

"C'mon guys." he told his brothers. "We have work to do."

…

The next day, the four turtles gathered in the barn as Leo addressed them all.

"Each of us will forge new armor and weapons," Leo instructed. "Then journey on alone, where we'll be challenged in the spirit realm, the place where the unreal become real, and we meet our ultimate fate.

Leo took several sticks and rocks and began sharpening the rocks into arrowheads and tying them onto the sticks. He then took a larger stick and bent it a bit so he could tie a string to it on either end.

Raph had taken some pumps and nozzles, attaching them to a pair of gasoline cans. With a little ingenuity that even Don would be proud of, he set up a special rigging that allowed him to practically shoot fire from his wrists. As an added bonus, he added a pair of claws on both flame throwers.

Donnie took a large stone and began hacking and smashing at it until it resembled a stone axe-head. Using some leather straps, Donnie attached the stone to the top of his staff, turning it into a pole-axe. He took another stone, flattened it out, and broke two eye holes in it, making a mask out of it.

Mikey decided to go for a woodsier feel for his costume, forming armor out of tree bark and covering his face in mud. For his weapons, he took a pair of old wheat scythes from the barn, stripping them of their blades to form a pair of Kama.

…

Finally, their vision quest costumes were finished.

Raph wore a light red hood, fishnet gloves, and his fire claws with a pair of gas tanks on his back. A white banner with the Japanese kanji for fire stood behind him as he ignited his claws to show off his power.

Donnie wore a light purple hood with his rock mask. A banner with the Japanese kanji for mountain stood behind him as he spun his pole-axe around and planted it on the ground.

Mikey wore a light orange hood with his wooden armor and a pair of kamas. He leapt out of the bushes and landed in front of a banner with the Japanese kanji for forest.

Finally, Leo had a white hood on over his head and a cloak around his body and a bow in his hand. A quiver of arrows rested on his shoulders, and his swords remained at his side. His banner, emblazoned with the Japanese kanji for wind, waved ever so slightly as he stood before it.

"Guys I gotta say it," Mikey finally spoke. "We look awesome."

"Focus Mikey!" Raph told him. "Remember what Master Splinter said, the threats were gonna face are just as dangerous as Shredder."

"Right." Mikey replied, closing his eyes and straightening, visibly trying to regain composure.

"It's time." Leo addressed. "Good luck ninjas. Kentou O."

"Kentou O." the others repeated.

With that, the four took off towards the woods in different directions. As they slowly disappeared deeper and deeper into the forests, the Northampton wilderness almost seemed to fade into an otherworldly mist, giving way for unique, and majestic settings for each turtle.

…

As Leo continued walking, he couldn't see where he was headed, or ever where he'd been. All he could see was an impermeable fog that coated the scenery like a thick, white blanket. He stepped forward, surprised to feel a rough, wooden plank beneath his foot. He glanced down, and nearly jolted as he realized he had somehow ended up on a long, narrow rope bridge. One that seemed to span on forever, and over a seemingly bottomless chasm.

"What the…" Leo let out. "How did I-"

Before he could finish, he thought he heard something out there. He quickly took out his bow and an arrow in preparation for whatever was out there. He looked around and saw nothing. Suddenly, a streak of black shot forward, revealing itself to be a foot ninja. Leo shot at it before it disappeared into the fog.

"A Foot Ninja." Leo spoke. "Was it real?"

Leo heard something land on the bridge and saw the Foot ninja standing there, seemingly ready for a battle. Leo drew another arrow ready to fight as well until he heard something land behind him. He turned to see more Foot Ninja landing on the bridge as well.

"Ok not cool guys." Leo commented as the ninja moved in closer. "Not cool."

…

Meanwhile, Raph emerged from a body of water into a torch lit cave.

"So much for finding a hidden pirate ship." Raph lamented as he swam to shore. "Hope the rest of this little quest ain't a waste."

As he shook off bits of excess water, he felt something bite at his ankle. He looked down and saw one of Dogpound's puppy trying to bite at him. He promptly kicked the puppy away before wondering how it got there.

"Now where did you come from?" Raph asked. "And more importantly, are you alone?"

Hearing a low growling, Raph turned towards a darker part of the cave and saw several puppies emerging from the shadows, all of them wanting to tear him apart. Raph just smirked at the sight.

"This just got a lot more interesting." Raph remarked, activating his fire claws.

…

Donnie was feeling vastly out of his element as he scaled the massive mountain towards an unknown destination.

"I don't even know if I'm going the right way." Donnie admitted. "Man I could use a good GPS right about now."

A loud crash echoed from above his head, shaking the entire mountain. He looked up, seeing a gang of purple dragons gathered along the upper ridge of the peak. Each was armed with a sledge hammer, one they brought down on the mountain to cause another deafening crash.

"Are you lunatics crazy?!" Donnie yelled. "You're gonna bring the whole mountain down!"

Suddenly a thought came to his mind.

"Unless… you don't care what happens because… you're aberrations of the spirit plane."

The Purple Dragons responded by striking the mountain again, causing a large portion of the mountain to break off and fall towards Donnie, much to his dismay.

…

Mikey moved swiftly through the forest, not really noticing when the thick, evergreen trees of the woods made way for towering aspen trees. Everything was deathly silent, no birds chirped, no squirrels leapt across the trees, no sounds except for Mikey's own footsteps. As Mikey continued, he thought he heard something out there, but was unsure which direction it was coming from.

"Who's there?" Mikey called out.

Thinking he could tell which direction the presence was coming from, he took out a throwing star and threw it in that direction, seemingly nailing something in the fog.

"Your camo is weak!" Mikey called out.

Suddenly, a row of eyes ignited in the fog, much to Mikey's horror.

"Either I'm wrong about the camo, or I'm about to be attacked by a ten eyed monster." Mikey guessed.

The fog finally cleared a bit, revealing five Kraang droids marching towards him with their blasters at the ready.

"AUGH!" he screamed in a panic. "I was wrong about the camo!"

…

Back with Leo, he let loose one arrow after another taking out several Foot Ninjas. With each successful strike, the ninjas disappeared into puffs of blue smoke.

"Keep 'em coming!" Leo challenged, firing three arrows at once. "I can do this all day!"

As one ninja came running up, Leo swept it off its legs with his bow before firing another arrow and taking it out.

"That all you got?" Leo asked. "I still have more arrows."

A snapping noise made Leo's bravado disappear in an instant. He turned towards the sound, seeing that the ropes of the bridge were beginning to snap one by one. Leo quickly started bolting to try and get off the bridge before it broke, unfortunately, he was unable to. The bridge broke in two and Leo began to fall towards his inevitable doom. He quickly grabbed hold of one of the snapped ropes and held onto it as he slammed into the mountain. He then climbed up the rope and reached the ledge the rope was attached to.

"Well…" Leo let out as he reached the top. "That wasn't so hard…"

…

Mikey was bouncing from tree to tree, easily avoiding the oncoming blaster fire from the Kraang. As he leapt off one tree, he landed behind the Kraang and slashed at one with his Kama, causing it to disappear into orange smoke. As the Kraang turned to shoot at him, Mikey grabbed one of the Kraang and used him as a shield, only for him to disappear after getting shot. Thinking fast, Mikey dashed towards the remaining Kraang and began swinging his Kama wildly, taking them down one by one. By the time Mikey came to a stop, all the Kraang were gone, and Mikey was alone again.

"Well what do you know?" Mikey let out. "This whole Vision Quest thingy was no problemo."

In that instant, a large tail shot through the fog, striking Mikey and knocking him into a tree. Mikey held his head in pain as he turned around to see Newtralizer emerging from the fog.

"Been quite a while little one, rakka, rakka." He told him.

"Aw geez, Newtralizer?" Mikey let out. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for a turtle to vaporize." he told him, aiming his blaster at him.

…

Back at the cave, Raph was having a jolly good time slashing and blasting at any puppy that got too close.

"Man!" he let out. "I would have been a shell of a lot more into all that spirit mumbo jumbo if I knew I got to bash some heads around."

As he swatted some more away, another bunch came up from behind. He quickly turned around and shot out a massive blast of fire at them, making them disappear into puffs of red smoke.

"Ha." Raph let out. "Not so tough now, are ya?"

From the shadows of the cave, a lone figure emerged, slow clapping as they moved into the light. Raph turned around to see the figure revealing himself to be Old Hob.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." Raph remarked. "Or does that phrase offend you?"

"Raphael, I've been waiting for a rematch." Old Hob remarked, stalking forward on all fours like an actual cat. "Though between you and me, you look like you could use a drink."

"Huh, and here I thought cats hate water." Raph replied, taking a fighting stance.

Hob charged at Raph, catching him in a flying tackle and sending them both into the water.

…

Donnie was having a trying time. Not only going toe to toe with some Purple Dragons, but also trying to avoid several pieces of the mountain nearly dropping on him. Finally, Don had have enough.

"You guys wanna bring half the mountain down?!" Donnie called out.

Donnie leapt onto one dragon and used him as a springboard up to the next ledge. He then knocked one dragon back before knocking another one off the mountain.

"Fine by me!"

Donnie then used his pole-axe to strike the mountain, cracking off a large chunk of it and sending it hurtling towards the dragons and knocking them off the mountain. Donnie looked over the sight feeling quite pleased.

"Huh, this stuff is easier than I thought." Donnie admitted, spinning his staff a bit.

Almost as if to prove him wrong, part of the mountain exploded outward, making way for an all too familiar wall of muscle.

"Let's see you try and think your way out of this one." Hun remarked, cracking his neck.

"Hun?!" Donnie let out in complete shock before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "No, you're a spirit too. You-you can't be real."

Hun simply responded by smacking Donnie across the face, knocking him to the ground.

"That real enough for you?" he asked chuckling.

…

Leo continued his trek up the mountain, but the long walk started to take a toll on his bad leg. As he got to the peak, he sat down on a rock to rest his leg. As he sat, he looked around and saw there was really nowhere else for him to go. He wonder what was next for him to do.

"Why am I here Master Splinter?" he asked himself. "What is your lesson?"

"Lesson?" a threatening voice repeated.

Leo looked back to see Shredder standing before him, looking as intimidating as ever.

"You've already failed."

"Shredder!" Leo let out.

Shredder extended his claws as he walked over to Leo, who quickly drew his swords.

"You were too weak to stand against me before." Shredder taunted.

Leo quickly dashed forward and clashed blades with Shredder. Shredder however, was quick enough to block every strike and knock Leo back a bit.

"And now look at you," he continued.

Leo looked up but couldn't find him, unaware that Shredder had made his way behind him.

"You can't barely stand at all!" Shredder finished as he brought his foot down on Leo's leg, causing him to cry out in pain.

…

Mikey continued dodging Newtralizer's blasts, but they became more and more persistent. He tried leaping towards a tree to get a better vantage point, but Newtralizer just grabbed him by the leg and threw him to the ground.

"Hey!" Mikey called out, getting up and dodging several punches and tail strikes. "Pause! Pause! Give me a sec spirit dude!"

…

Donnie spun his axe before striking it on the ground. The impact broke off a chunk of the mountain that Hun was on, causing him to fall. Unfortunately, the behemoth was not so easily bested. He grabbed the edge of the ledge, pulling himself back up, grabbing ahold of Donnie's axe and shoving him to the ground as he did so. He let out a maniacal chuckle before pulling the pole out of his hands and smacking him with it.

…

Raph and Hob wrestled beneath the surface of the water, clawing at one another like the vicious animals they were. Raph's aquatic nature allowed him to remain beneath the water long after the point where normal creatures would have drown. Unfortunately, Hob's status as a part of the spirit plane also allowed him to remain beneath the water's edge. His voice cut through the water, taunting Raph as his claws raked across his shell.

"Give it up, turtle boy." He told him. "This fight was over long before it began."

Hob brought a claw down on Raph's arm, causing him to cry out in pain, and lose some much needed air.

…

Back on the mountain top, Leo and Shredder continued clashing blades back and forth, with Leo feeling his disadvantage overwhelming him. As he continued backing up, Shredder moved in closer, forcing him higher up the mountain and away from any path of escape. Leo then backed up further and tried leaping down towards Shredder, bringing his swords down as well. Shredder just backed up and caught the blades in his claws. As the two struggled for dominance, Shredder kicked Leo in the stomach, causing him to release his swords and collide with the side of the mountain. Shredder spun Leo's swords a bit before planting them into the ground and moving in to finish Leo.

…

Back with Mikey, he had finally managed to put some distance between him and Newtralizer. Of course, he knew that his reprieve would be short lived, and that he had to do something quickly if he wanted to survive.

"Ok Mikey, get a hold of yourself." He said to himself. "Remember what Splinter said, be focused. Like the forest."

Mikey then took a stance and tried to clear his mind of distractions. Of course, that's when a bizarre image of a cat made out of Neapolitan ice cream attempted to permeate his thoughts. As quickly as it came, Mikey dispelled it, forcing himself back on task.

"Not now Ice Cream Kitty, need to focus!" Mikey let out. "If I can concentrate, I can beat him. Focus… focus…"

Mikey then became fully aware of everything around him. The wind in the air, the rustling of the leaves, and a drop of water landing on Newtralizer's snout. Newtralizer then sprang forward to try and attack him, but Mikey quickly dodged it. Newtralizer kept trying to strike him time and time again, but Mikey just kept dodging the attacks until finally Mikey stuck his Kama into Newtralizer's neck. Mikey then flipped over him, causing Newtralizer to bend back, and then he use his second Kama to slice at the alien lizard's neck. The strike made Newtralizer disappear into a puff of bright orange smoke, leaving Mikey alone and victorious.

…

Donnie was sent tumbling down the mountain, just barely landing on a ledge. Hun looked over this and laughed before using Donnie's axe to strike at the mountain. The impact let loose several chunks of rock that went careening down towards the purple turtle. Donnie saw this and braced himself for the coming impact. He opened his eyes to see he was still alive, but standing on a very small stack of rocks with no means of escape.

"Oh sewer cakes..." he let out.

He looked over as Hun discarded the axe and cracked his knuckles. Donnie let out a gulp of fear before coming to a decision.

"No, I gotta stand by ground." He said, getting up and pulling down his mask. "Be immovable."

Hun then leapt over and he and Don locked arms, each trying to get superiority over the other.

"You don't honestly think you can win this do you?" Hun asked. "I'm twice your size, and three times your strength."

Donnie just remained silent as the two struggled. Finally, Donnie was able to get the advantage and flip Hun over him and off the mountain.

"Aw crud!" Hun yelled as he fell to his end.

Donnie just looked on in triumph.

…

Raph finally was able to pull himself out of the water and make it to shore, coughing up some excess water in his lungs as he did so. He was dripping wet, and more than a bit pissed off by the thrashing he had gotten from Hob.

"Why that mangy little..." Raph started to curse before he caught himself. "Breath Raph. Splinter's right, lashing out isn't gonna get the job done. I need to concentrate my anger."

Raph then stood up and began to gain his focus as Hob got out of the water himself.

"Sharpen it," Raph continued. "Give it form."

Raph then ignited his flame throwers again, this time setting his claws ablaze themselves.

"Ready for another swim Raphie boy?" Hob taunted. "Bet your toys don't work underwater."

Raph didn't answer Hob's taunts. Instead, he simply turned, raising his fiery claws up. He then charged at Hob full force, yelling as he did so, and impaled Hob on his claws. Raph just smirked as he pulled his claws apart, causing Hob to disappear into red smoke.

"Eat that kitty cat." Raph joked.

…

Leo seemed to be out of luck as he was only able to limp away from a slowly approaching Shredder.

"That leg is like a ball and chain," Shredder noted. "Dragging you down to your inevitable end."

Leo took hold of a fallen arrow and tried charging at Shredder with it, unfortunately Shredder was able to catch Leo by the throat and grab his arm. He then kneed Leo in the chest, causing him to stumble back, before punching him in the face and kicking him across the ground. All Leo could do was lay there in defeat.

"Shredder's right." Leo admitted. "My injury is always gonna hold me back…. I can't do it."

The air was then filled with the sound of Shredder's maniacal laughter as he extended a claw over Leo.

"It's over boy," Shredder told him as Leo became resigned to his fate. "Soon you will be no more, and then I will lay waste to your insignificant family!"

The sound of his family being threatened caused Leo's eyes to snap open. A new sense of energy filled him as he eyed his fallen bow next to him. As Shredder brought his claw down, Leo grabbed the bow and used it to block the strike, much to Shredder's surprise.

"No!" Leo screamed. "You can destroy me Shredder, but I won't! Let! You! Hurt! My! FAMILY!"

With that, Leo kicked Shredder in the gut, causing the villain to fly back. Leo looked down to see the leg he kicked him with was his bad leg, yet he felt no pain in it at all.

"My leg," he marveled. "It's healed, it's… it healed a long time ago… and I've just been hiding behind the pain as an excuse."

Leo then looked up to see Shredder getting to his feet.

"Well not anymore." Leo decided, getting up as well. "I'm not gonna live in fear any longer!"

Shredder just growled at this as he leapt into the air towards him. Leo quickly jumped out of the way, landing on a nearby rock as Shredder landed. Shredder turned to see Leo springboard off the rock and clock him in the chin, disorienting him a bit. As Shredder regained his senses, he saw Leo standing on a rock above him, aiming an arrow right at his face. The sight made him go wide eyed.

"Say 'ah' Shred-head." Leo let out, releasing the arrow.

Shredder didn't have a chance to react as the arrow flew through the air and right into his eye, causing him to disappear into a cloud of blue smoke. Leo smiled at this before getting down and walking back over to his swords.

"I beat you on the spirit plain Shredder," Leo declared, sheathing his swords. "And one day, I'll beat you in the real world. I'm ready."

…

April and Casey were out in the yard, the former attempting to get some training done while they waited on the turtles to return from their quests. Casey was holding a wooden plank in his hands as April gave a stretch.

"Make sure to hold it steady." she warned him. "I'd hate to miss and knock some sense into you."

"Just take your shot O'Neil." Casey challenged.

April did just that, twisting on her heel and delivering a powerful kick, one that split the wooden plank in half.

"Yes!" April cheered. "Finally! I knew I could do it!"

Casey dropped the broken blank, his jaw on the ground as he stared in amazement.

"What's the matter, Jones?" April asked. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Uh, April…" Casey let out, pointing behind her.

April turned, and her jaw dropped as well at the sight she beheld. All four turtles emerged from the forest, each of them carrying their banners and looking like they'd been through hell and back. Their faces were serious and stern, and for the first time since arriving at the farmhouse, Leo walked without a limp.

"Whoa…" Casey marveled.

"What happened out there?" April asked.

There was a moment of silence before her question was answered.

"It's time to go back." Leo declared.


	35. Search for Splinter

_It's Raphael, and things are finally taking a turn for the better with us. We found out that Shredder's boasts about killing our sensei were greatly exaggerated, and after venturing out into the woods to complete personalized vision quests, my bros and I are finally returning to New York. Once we get there, our first order of business is to locate our missing Sensei. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to have my entire family back._

...

The farmhouse seemed strangely empty as the turtles and their friends gathered up what few belongings they had, preparing for the return trip home. Mikey came back from the field carrying Splinter's walking stick.

"Hang on Sensei," he said to himself. "We're coming for you."

Ms. Jones helped them get all their stuffed pack, exchanging a few words with her son.

"You be careful out there Arnold." she told him. "I don't wanna hear about you getting abducted or vaporized or nothing, you hear me?"

"Don't worry Ma." Casey reassured. "I'll be as cautious as possible."

While the two hugged and said goodbye, April turned to Donnie with an inquisitive look.

"Don, while I'm all for going back to New York and finding Master Splinter, do we even have a way into the city?"

"Yeah." Mikey interjected. "The news said the city was surrounded by Kraang crystals. How're we gonna get in without blowing up the entire island?"

"Glad you guys asked." Donnie replied, pulling out what looked like a heavily modified record player. "After our little vision quest, I got to work turning this old record player into a sub-sonic cannon. It will shoot out a concentrated sound blast that will make a hole in the crystal wall for us to get in."

"Unfortunately, that still doesn't solve the problem of how we get back to New York in the first place." Raph pointed out. "April's van got busted when we got here, and that old truck we've been using can't hold all six of us."

"Luckily, me and Don have giving that the cruddy van a much needed overhaul." Casey told them.

"What kind of overhaul?" Leo asked.

"Meet us out at the barn and find out." Donnie told them.

…

A few minutes later, everyone gathered outside the barn and Donnie and Casey stood in front of them ready to open the doors.

"Ladies and Gentle-mutants… and Raph." Donnie declared, earning a glare from his red banded brother, "We present to you… the Party Wagon!"

The two pulled the barn doors open, revealing April's revamped van. It had been given a new paint job, giving it turtle shell designs along the doors and roof. Several hatches and panels had been installed along the sides, no doubt for some impromptu weaponry courtesy of Don, as well as some kind of cannon on either side near the front windows. There even seemed to be a battering ram attached to the front bumper for good measure.

"Whoa, that's my old van?" April questioned. "I barely even recognize it."

"Guess you'll be needing to borrow my spare motorcycle on a more permanent basis." Casey remarked.

"Gotta say Don, this is pretty sweet." Leo admitted.

"Thanks." Donnie replied. "Granted it's not as heavily armored as the Battle Shell, but it is more maneuverable, can hold more weapons, and gets better gas mileage."

"Not bad." Raph remarked. "Why don't we see what this bad boy can do?"

Without further ado, the six of them climbed into the van, Leo taking the wheel as he gunned the engine. The muffler coughed out a plume of black smoke, then the engine roared, eliciting a grin from the blue turtle.

"C'mon team." he told them as he floored the gas. "Splinter's waiting for us."

…

After several hours of driving, the gang finally could see the wall of Kraang Crystals surrounding their beloved New York. There were old military barriers everywhere, but it was clear that any military forces that had been stationed here had either pulled out or been destroyed by the Kraang. The others looked on this in dismay.

"Ever get that feeling that the world just wants you dead?" Casey commented, staring at a burnt out jeep on the side of the road.

"I'm honestly thinking of the movie Escape from New York." Mikey admitted. "Only we're trying to break in, not out."

"Focus Mikey." Raph replied, smacking him upside the head. "We're gonna be deep in Kraang country in a matter of minutes."

"Alright Don," Leo spoke. "Let's see if you're little toy can cut it."

"I hope this works." Don remarked, flipping a switch on the dashboard.

A panel on the hood opened up and Donnie's sub-sonic cannon came out. Donnie turned it on, and it started emitting a high pitched noise that started to grate at everyone's ears. It seemed to come out in waves, striking at the crystals in a circular manner. The circle caused the crystals to glow brighter and brighter until they shattered completely, leaving an almost perfectly circular hole in the otherwise untouched crystal wall.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered as Don turned off the machine. "It worked!"

"I can't believe it!" Donnie said astonished. "It actually worked!"

"Come on, the Kraang will come to investigate the hole in their defenses soon." Leo declared, driving through the hole and into the city. "And we've still got a lot of work ahead of us."

The wagon drove through the hole and made its way through the seemingly empty city. All the lights were shut off, and there wasn't even a homeless person to be seen.

"Where is everyone?" Mikey asked.

"Probably hiding from the Kraang." April guessed.

"Alright guys," Leo addressed. "Here's the plan. First, we finally find Master Splinter. Then, we save the city from the Kraang. And finally, we finish our business with the Shredder once and for all."

"Can I just say how good it is to have the old Leo back?" Mikey commented.

"First, we need a place to start looking." April reminded.

"The lair." Donnie told her. "It's the best place to start."

"Uh, need I remind you that the Foot were practically coming out of the woodwork the last time we went into the sewers." Raph noted.

"We don't have much of a choice." Leo told him. "It's the only lead we got. We're just gonna have to fight our way through it."

"Then let's go." Donnie declared.

…

After a bit of driving, the group made it to the warehouse above the lair. Donnie unlocked the door, grateful to find that the Battle Shell was not only still there, but still intact and unharmed.

"Hello there old gal." Donnie said, greeting the old vehicle. "Miss me?"

"Oh for shell's sake." Raph let out. "You can make out with the Battle Shell later. Master Splinter is waiting for us."

"Right." Donnie said, snapping back into focus. "Sorry."

"Come on," Leo instructed. "The warehouse maybe abandoned, but the lair itself might still be covered."

The others nodded, then they silently entered the old lair. Once the dumbwaiter reached ground level, the turtles rolled out and pulled out their weapons ready for battle. To their surprise though, there was no one to do battle with. The lair was completely empty. The turtles slowly stood up straight in surprise.

"Uh, where is everybody?" Mikey questioned.

"Yeah, last time we were here the Foot were crawling all over the place." Raph commented. "Why would Shredder just send them all home?"

"The Foot must have cleared out after the Kraang invaded." Donnie surmised. "Not even Shredder's stupid enough to try and take on an entire alien race by himself."

"Why they left doesn't matter right now." Leo declared. "Everyone fan and search for clues."

The turtles, April, and Casey moved out throughout the lair looking for any signs of where Splinter could be. As Donnie looked around, his foot collided with something on the ground. He looked down and saw it was the head of Metalhead.

"Metalhead?" Donnie let out picking up his robots head. "Guys! I think I found something!"

Everyone converged on Donnie as the purple turtle began examining the severed metallic head.

"Metalhead's been through some serious shell." Mikey commented.

"True, but I did install audio-visual receptors into his CPU." he explained. "Even with his head severed, the data on his hard drive should still be intact, giving us at least an idea of what happened to our sensei."

He then pulled out his laptop and hooked it up to Metalhead's head so everything it has seen could be transferred to his computer. It took a few minutes, but soon, all the files were downloaded, and Donnie quickly opened the newest video file. The video showed Metalhead activating just as the Foot started invading the lair. As the robot engaged several foot ninja, Master Splinter could be seen off to the side, fighting against his own group of adversaries. The group continued watching as Metalhead saved Splinter from being killed and fighting alongside him until Splinter took off into the tunnels, leaving Metalhead alone to defend the lair against the Foot.

"Wow, the little guy's really holding his own." Mikey commented.

As soon as he said that, the blade of a foot ninja sliced through Metalhead's neck joint, sending his head falling to the ground. The camera continued to broadcast at a tilted angle for a few more seconds before cutting out altogether.

"You did good little guy." Donnie complimented, patting the Robo head. "As soon as this is all over, I'll make you all better."

"Splinter took off down the eastern tunnels." Leo remembered, mentally replaying the video. "There's got to be more clues down that way."

"Then let's get moving!" Raph declared.

The turtles and their two friends took off out of the lair and down the tunnel Splinter took. Almost immediately, they could make out signs of a fight. Scrapes lined the wall where blades had left small gashes in the brick.

"Yeah, he definitely went down this way." Leo took note.

"I'm seeing marks from shuriken and katana blades." Donnie explained, running his fingers along the walls. "Sensei was definitely swarmed by Foot, forcing him to retreat deeper into the tunnels."

"Yo dudes, check it!" Mikey called out.

Everyone gathered around Mikey, who was looking at some claw marks on the walls. The marks were a pair of parallel lines, almost as if someone had dragged dual claws across the stone in an intimidating manner.

"Remind you guys of anyone?" He asked.

"Shredder." Leo hissed, his fists clenching involuntarily.

"This must be where he made his reappearance." Raph spat.

"Meaning we must be getting closer." Donnie surmised. "Come on, the claw marks lead down this way."

The group followed the tunnel, seeing more and more marks, both from Shredder's claws, and from Splinter's blade. Continuing onward, the sound of rushing water filled their ears, and soon, they came to a large, swirling pool.

"Whoa," Raph let out. "Looks pretty nasty."

"Shredder did say that Splinter's bones laid still at the bottom of the sewers." Donnie remembered. "This must be what he meant; he tossed Splinter down this drain pipe."

"Meaning Splinter might be on the other side of wherever this pipe leads." Leo deduced.

Without any hesitation, the four turtles took deep breaths, then jumped down into the swirling water. Casey and April watched them jump, then looked back at each other.

"We should… probably wait back in the warehouse." April suggested.

"Agreed." Casey replied.

…

The drain seemed to go on for a long time, pushing and tossing the four turtles about before coughing them up in an old, mildew covered tunnel. They slowly got back on their feet, looking around for any sign of Splinter. They seemed to be coming up empty, until something caught Raph's eye.

"Hey guys." he called out. "Check it."

The others looked to see a patch of dried blood on the ground.

"Blood." Donnie observed.

"That ain't all." Raph pointed out.

He gestured to the ground, where they could faintly make out a pair of footprint sets. From the marks in between the two sets, it was clear that their owners had been dragging something, or someone, with them out of the tunnels.

"Someone found Master Splinter." Leo realized, his blood going cold at the thought. "Someone found him and took him."

"The Foot maybe?" Mikey suggested.

"Shredder said Splinter's bones were in the sewers." Donnie reminded him. "I don't think he knew to look for Sensei here."

"Could have just said that to taunt us." Mikey suggested. "He is a taunter."

"Only one way to find out." Raph declared, pointing up at a manhole cover.

The four made their way to the ladder and climbed up it. When they finally came up, they entered an abandoned alleyway. One by one, they made their way topside. Quickly ducking into the shadows to avoid a passing Kraang patrol.

"See anything guys?" Leo questioned.

"Just a bunch of boring office buildings." Mikey replied. "No sign of Splinter."

"Zilch for me too." Raph remarked. "What about you, Don?"

Don was silent, his eyes locked on a tall building directly in front of him. His jaw was practically on the ground as she slowly pointed upward. The others followed his finger, looking up to see a building with a sign reading 'Techno Cosmic Research Institute'.

"What Don?" Leo asked. "It's just an office building."

"Didn't you read the sign?" Donnie questioned.

"Techno Cosmic Research Institute." Mikey read off. "So what?"

"So say the first letter of each word." Donnie told them.

"What, you mean TCR-...I" Mikey let out, realization dawning near the end.

"No way." Raph let out, catching on to what he was talking about.

"It can't be." Leo marveled.

"Guys, we're staring at the birthplace of the mutagen that made us who we are today." Donnie declared.

"We need to get back to April and Casey." Leo told them. "And then we need a plan to get into that building."

…

"So wait, you're saying that you found the building that created the very can of ooze that turned you and Splinter into the mutants you are today?" Casey asked.

"You're sure it was the same building?" April inquired.

"Positive." Leo confirmed. "TCRI were the exact same letters on the original canister of ooze that mutated us."

"You do realize this means that this TCRI place is probably headquarters for a Kraang faction." April pointed out.

"And if Splinter washed up near their doorstep, they probably have him and are doing god knows what to him." Casey added.

"Which is why we need to get into that place ASAP." Raph told them.

"Dial it back a bit there Raphael." Leo told him. "We can't just go in there guns blazing. We need a plan."

Donnie was sitting at his desk, typing away at his computer to find any and all information he could on TCRI.

"According to my research, TCRI is a deep space research center." Donnie relayed. "It works with NASA in mapping out manned and unmanned missions in space. It was founded in 1985 by someone named Myles Mortu."

"That's got to be a fake name." Raph commented.

"Fake or no, he's made quite a few public appearances." Donnie continued. "And from everything I've seen, he appears to be human. No broken Kraang speak."

"Kraang Subprime spoke in unbroken English to." Leo remembered. "For all we know, this Mortu could be a human guise of his."

"True," Donnie admitted, "Still if this a Kraang facility, then security in there is gonna be tighter than Fort Knox."

"And since the city's under Kraang control, we can't pull the same trick we did at Mirage Industries." Mikey added.

"So how do we get inside?" Casey asked.

Raph looked over at Casey, then a smile graced his face.

"Hey, why can't we pull what we did back at Mirage industries?" He questioned. "I mean, I'm pretty sure if we caused a big enough distraction, someone could slip in, knock out the security, and we'd be home free to invade this sucker."

"For once, Raph might be onto something." Leo agreed.

"Whaddya mean 'for once'?" Raph quipped, crossing his arms.

Ignoring his brother, Leo continued.

"Don, the Battle Shell is still operational, right?" he asked.

"Definitely." Donnie confirmed.

"Then Casey, you'll drive the Battle Shell right up into the lobby. Once you're in, cause as much damage and make as much of a scene as you can."

"Now this plan, I like." Casey remarked, pounding his fist.

"Meanwhile, April will slip into the security room and deactivate any outer security." Leo continued.

"Focus on any roof sensors." Don suggested. "Assaulting from the top will most likely be our best course of action."

"I'll do what I can." April promised.

"Then let's roll." Raph spoke.

…

Inside the main lobby of the TCRI building, various men and women were milling about. Several were armed, as if they were expecting an attack at any moment. Soon, the sound of an approaching engine filled their ears, getting ever closer. Then, with a mighty crash, the Battle Shell tore through the front doors of the building. Men and women scattered immediately as the Battle Shell came to a stop. The driver's side door flew open and out jumped Casey Jones, his hockey mask down and his golf club raised high.

"Alien scum!" he screamed. "Get out of my city!"

He then leapt to the ground, smacking at everyone in sight. He tripped up one guard and then brought his hockey stick down on him taking him out. He then grabbed a hold of one guard and threw him at the reception desk. The guard slowly got up and hit an intercom button.

"Security to the main lobby." he called out. "We have an intruder."

While Casey was still slugging it out, April stealthily slipped out of the back of the Battle Shell, quietly running towards a hallway leading deeper into the facility. She looked back just long enough to shoot Casey a thumbs up before disappearing. Casey smiled a bit before charging back into the battle.

"Bring it on creepozoids!" he cried out. "Goongala!"

April continued inward, soon locating the room labeled security. Surprisingly, the label was in English. Without much time to think on that, April pushed the door open, where she came face to face with an undisguised Kraang droid.

"Sewer apples." April swore.

Thinking fast, she punched the Kraang right in the center of its fleshy face. The droid promptly fell to the ground as April breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you Master Splinter." she muttered under her breath as she turned towards the security display.

As she looked around the display, it was clear that only a Kraang could access it. Looking down at the fallen Kraang droid, she picked it up, adjusting it as best she could and manipulating it like a puppet. A scanner came out, scanning the metallic face before beeping an affirmative. After that, a holographic map opened up, displaying a 3D blueprint of the entire TCRI complex.

"Bingo." April let out.

Using the Kraang droid's metal hand, she tapped the roof of the holographic map. It shimmered slightly, turning from a bright blue to a burnt orange.

"Roof sensors deactivated." a mechanized voice declared from the main computer.

"Yes." April cheered, dropping the Kraang droid and activating an ear piece Don had given her. "You're clear, Don."

"Roger that April." Donnie called back. "We'll take it from here."

…

Back outside on a rooftop across from TCRI, Donnie fired a grappling hook at the building. The turtles then slowly made their way across the rope towards the building. About halfway across, Mikey nearly lost his footing, but quickly regained it, traversing the remaining half of their tightrope on his hands. Finally, they made it to the roof, only for Donnie to point out another problem.

"Security cameras." Donnie hissed. "Must be on a separate system.

"How are we gonna work with those things?" Raph asked.

The others pondered a moment before Mikey snapped his fingers.

"I got it." he let out. "We just need a pigeon and a polaroid."

The others just looked at him with a blank expression.

"Does anyone else have an idea?" Leo asked.

…

In a monitor room inside the building, Mortu stood in front of a large display of TV screens, watching the chaos going on in the lobby. His eyes narrowed as he examined the familiar looking vehicle that had torn through the front doors, and the young man currently thrashing his security team. Suddenly, a pigeon appeared on one of the external cameras, much to Mortu's surprise.

"What in the world?" he let out.

…

Back outside, Raph was holding a pigeon over the camera while Donnie was lining up a Polaroid into position.

"Hurry up Don." Raph called out quietly. "This little guys getting fidgety."

Finally, Don snapped the picture and placed in front of the camera. Raph finally let go of the pigeon so he could fly off and the turtles could move about the roof undeterred.

"That was a pretty smart idea Mikey." Donnie admitted. "How you think it up?"

"Not sure." Mikey admitted. "Think I read it in a comic book once."

Raph ignored Mikey, moving across the rooftop towards an air vent. With a solid kick, he snapped the grate off of it, giving him and his bros a passage into the building. One by one, the four dropped down the vent and into the building.

…

Back in the lobby, Casey continued thrashing and bashing the guards present as April hightailed it back into the Battle Shell.

"Casey, it's time to go!" she shouted. "Now!"

After knocking one last guard back, Casey hightailed it into the Battle Shell and closed the door.

"Hit it!" he yelled.

April cranked the Battle Shell into reverse, then slammed her foot on the gas. The vehicle pulled back, bits of rubble and broken glass raining down as it was removed from the large hole. Once fully free of the building, April switched into drive and peeled off into the night.

…

Back inside, the turtles fell out of the vents and landed in an empty hallway. While the building did have an interior reminiscent of Kraang tech, pale blue light emanated where the Kraang's malicious pink lights usually did.

"Interesting color palette." Raph commented.

"So how do we find Splinter in this place?" Mikey asked.

The sound of a pneumatic door sliding open got all turtles moving. They clambered back into the vent just as a pair of security guards walked towards them.

"Can you believe what just happened?" the first guard asked his partner. "I mean, I knew humans were gutsy, but what that kid pulled was downright suicidal."

"People have been driven to desperation in this invasion." the second guard replied.

"Still, he's just lucky he came here and not a different outpost." the first guard pointed out. "If they got ahold of him, they'd tear him to shreds."

"Yeah but now we have to take these suits to decontamination." the second one complained. "And I just had it cleaned."

"Better off than Ch'rell." The first commented. "Being sent to the infirmary, and his entire exo-skeleton's being repaired. Claims some red-haired human did it to him."

"Right," the second one recalled, activating the elevator. "Isn't he on guard duty watching the rat?"

"No, that's Xeinos." the first one reminded him. "Ch'rell was on monitor duty. He switched with her for the post, remember?"

"Right." the second one said as the two stepped into the elevator. "Bet he wishes he'd stayed in the infirmary."

With that, the elevator closed and the turtles dropped down onto the floor.

"Did you guys hear that?" Donnie asked.

"We all did Don." Leo assured him. "It's just like we feared. Master Splinter is in Kraang clutches."

"So what do you say we hitch a ride on that elevator and check out our Sensei?" Raph asked.

"I agree." Leo concurred, heading over to the elevator doors and opening them with his sword.

Once the doors were opened, the turtles leapt out into the shaft and grabbed hold of the elevator cables, riding them down to the descending car. As they landed on the car, Mikey opened up the trap door and tossed a smoke bomb inside. As the puff of purple smoke filled the car, the turtles leapt down and made short work of the guards inside.

"So far, so good." Donnie let out.

"Let's just hope it stays that way." Leo said.

As the turtles rode the car down, they were unaware of the hidden security camera inside the car.

…

In the monitor room, Mortu and the guardian watched as the turtles rode the elevator.

"So, the turtles are alive." the guardian marveled.

"Yes, and inside the building." Mortu added. "You need to detain them before they cause any irreparable damage."

"Understood." the guardian replied before heading out.

…

Back with the turtles, the elevator finally stopped and opened up, revealing an interior that was almost a carbon copy of Mirage industries. The only noticeable difference there was to be seen was in the color scheme. Once again, the cool blue lights replaced the Kraang's usual hostile pink.

"Whoa dudes, I'm getting a mad sense of Deja vu." Mikey let out.

"Stay frosty, guys." Leo told his bros. "We can't afford to be seen."

The turtles slowly made their way through the facility, doing their best to stay out of sight of the visible Kraang droids littered throughout. Finally, the came across a doorway that lead to some kind of strange blue platform.

"Whoa," Mikey let out. "Is that another portal?"

"I'm not sure." Donnie replied. "This one seems a bit scaled down, lot more streamlined, and seemingly much more sophisticated. From a technological standpoint, I dare say it's beautiful."

Donnie turned back to see his brothers giving him weird looks.

"Is there such a thing as having a romantic attraction to technology?" Raph asked. "Cause you seem to have it bad."

"What?!" Donnie replied. "I happen to have a deep appreciation for precision circuitry and custom hardware."

"Yeah but that appreciation is a few choice words away from sounding like a marriage proposal." Raph remarked.

"Do you, Donatello, take this portal to be your-" Mikey started to joke.

"Guys." Leo spoke, sounding petrified. "Look."

The others turned to see Splinter suspended in some kind of strange, bluish liquid. He had a breathing apparatus attached to his snout, as well as a few wires connected to his chest. Next to the pod he was suspended in, a monitor gave a continuous readout of his vital signs, written in the native Kraang dialect of course.

"Splinter!" They all cried out, running towards their Sensei.

"Donnie, is he ok?" Mikey asked.

Donnie quickly made his way over to the console, checking over every bit of data the readout provided.

"It seems so." he answered, squinting at the data. "From what I can tell, he seems to be in some form of suspended animation."

"Then let's get him out!" Raph yelled pulling out his sai.

"Raph, no!" Leo protested, holding him back. "We don't know what this stuff is doing to him. Taking him out could hurt him."

"Leo's right, Raph." Donnie agreed. "We'll have to leave him in there for… hang on, that's weird."

"What's weird?" Leo asked.

"My Kraang-ese is a little rusty, but this readout has Sensei labeled as Chung Li." Donnie explained. "They know who he really is."

"How is that possible?" Leo asked. "The Kraang never even met Splinter until the Technodrome. So how could-"

Before Leo could finish his thought, another door opened, revealing several Kraang droids. Upon seeing the turtles, they all froze in place.

"It's the turtles!" One shouted. "We found the turtles!"

"Aw shell." Raph let out.

"Take them down before they can raise an alarm!" Leo ordered, drawing a sword.

The turtles charged forward, ready to take on the Kraang. Before the aliens could even get a shot off, Raph stabbed one in the face with his sai and threw him into another droid. Donnie swept one off his feet and stabbed it in the chest with his blade as it hit the ground. Mikey ran up to one droid and kicked one droid into a group of others, knocking them all down. Leo zipped towards the remaining Kraang droids, slicing each one in half as he did so. Unfortunately, he got to the last one too late as he was able to hit an alarm button before getting cut down.

A loud siren went off all throughout the building. Kraang droids practically materialized around the turtles, all of them armed to their metallic teeth.

"Looks like we're having one of those days." Mikey commented.

"You mean Tuesday?" Raph asked.

"We need to fall back." Leo decided as the group started circling up.

"To where?" Raph questioned. "There're Kraang everywhere."

Donnie surveyed the room and spotted the room that contained the portal device.

"In there!" Donnie called out. "We can probably hold them off.

"Right," Leo agreed. "Let's move!"

With that, the turtles started bolting, much to the Kraang's dismay.

"Stop them," one of the Kraang instructed. "But set for stun!"

The Kraang began firing at the turtles, hoping to stop them from escaping. As the turtles leapt over the device, Mikey got hit by one of the blasts and landed on the platform. He tried getting to his feet, but he found himself unable to, as if something was holding him to the ground.

"Hey, guys!" Mikey called out. "I can't move! I'm stuck!"

The others quickly turned around and bolted back onto the device and tried helping Mikey up. They were quick to find that not only were they unable to move Mikey, but they found themselves stuck as well.

"What the shell?" Raph let out.

"What is this thing?" Leo asked.

As they continued asking questions, the device started powering up. The Kraang droids quickly entered the room, as well as Mortu and the Guardian, much to Leo's shock.

"You?!" Leo let out.

"Leonardo, get down from there!" The Guardian shouted in desperation.

"I'm afraid it's too late." Mortu lamented. "The process has already begun."

Before they could respond, some kind of blue light surrounded them. Leo looked down and saw that his hand was slowly falling apart. He looked around and saw his brothers were coming apart as well.

"What's happening to us?!" Leo shouted seconds before his entire body came apart.

As the turtles fell apart, the beam of light shot up into the sky like a beacon.

…

April slammed her foot on the break, the Battle Shell screeching to a stop as she twisted around in her seat. Behind her, she saw a bolt of blue light arc upward into the sky and out of sight.

"That light was from TCRI." she realized.

"Think the guys did that?" Casey questioned.

"If they did, then they are in serious trouble." April replied.

…

Further across town, two Kraang droids looked up to see the large bolt of light shooting through the sky.

"Kraang, what does Kraang assume is the cause that is causing the light that is the light shooting into space?" one Kraang asked.

"Kraang assumes that the cause of the light that is the light shooting into space is caused by those known as the enemies of Kraang." the second Kraang surmised.

"Kraang must search out the cause of the light that is the light shooting into space and find the cause that is the cause of the light." the first Kraang declared. "Kraang must confirm the cause that is the cause of the light is those known as the enemies of Kraang."

"And when the cause that is the cause of the light is confirmed to be those known as the enemies of Kraang, then Kraang will destroy them." the second Kraang completed.


	36. The Fugitoid

_Space. The final frontier. The last great adventure for mankind._  
 _My name is Donatello, and like any lover of science, the idea of traveling beyond our world astonishes me. And now, I've got the chance. To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man, or mutant, has gone before._  
 _This all would be incredible, if I wasn't fighting for my life against armed goons hunting some strange robot. Everything in life comes at a price, doesn't it?_

 _..._

The sensation was indescribable, the feeling of all of their molecules being broken down and put back together again. While it make have taken a matter of hours for the entire process to complete, the turtles felt as if only a few moments had passed. Bit by bit, their bodies were rebuilt until they were whole once again, sitting on the dirty ground in a grungy back alley.

"Whoa." Raph let out, shaking off the weird sensation coursing through his system. "What the shell was that?"

"And where are the Kraang?" Mikey asked. "And Master Splinter?"

"I think the better question is, where are we?" Donnie corrected.

The turtles looked around, finally getting a clear view of exactly where they were. The sky was a burnt orange color, with constellations that none of the brothers recognized. Various moons and space debris floated above them, and even more confusing, the back alley they were in opened out into a strange cityscape with creatures that were most definitely not human or Kraang.

"So is this the New Jersey of Dimension X?" Mikey asked.

"I don't think this is Dimension X." Donnie corrected.

"How do you figure that?" Raph asked.

"For starters, we're not suffocating on the atmosphere right now." Donnie told him. "And second, the device we used felt like 'whoosh', whereas the dimensional portals were more of a 'shift'. Like a shift in molecules."

"Whoosh?" Mikey asked. "I kinda feel like it was a 'vroom'."

"Really?" Raph interjected. "Cause I could've sworn it was more of a 'thwap',"

"Thwap?" Donnie and Mikey asked.

Raph responded by smacking both of them across the face.

"Thwap." Raph repeated as the two rubbed their faces.

"My point is, instead of being sent to another dimension, I think we were shot across outer space." Donnie continued.

Leo's eyes went wide at that, looking around in amazement.

"We're on another planet?" he let out. "Guys, do you know what this means?"

"That you're about to geek out," Raph guessed in a deadpan voice. "And shout that this is just like Space Heroes."

"No," Leo corrected. "Though that is cool, it's that we're lost in space with no idea where we are, or how to get back home to Master Splinter."

"Gangway!" a mechanized voice shouted from the opening of the alley.

The turtles all turned just in time to see a silver robot with orange eyes and a mouth barreling towards them. The robot brushed past them as he bolted down the street.

"Hey, we're standin here!" Mikey yelled, sounding like an angry cab driver.

"Where's he off to in such a hurry?" Donnie asked.

"I'm guessing it's to get away from those guys." Leo guessed, pointing in the other direction.

The turtles looked to see a group of armed humanoid men moving in on the alley. They were all dressed in green uniforms and armed with weapons reminiscent of the Kraang's laser guns.

"Creatures!" one man at the front of the group called out. "Hand over the android now or we will be forced to open fire!"

The turtles just looked at each other in confusion about what was going on. Meanwhile, the robot behind them began banging against the stone wall, trying to find a weak spot.

"Oh dear." it let out, leaning against the wall

"You had your chance." the man called out. "Open fire!"

With that, the men opened fire on the turtles, causing the boys in green to scatter to avoid the blaster fire.

Leo jumped onto a nearby dumpster and leapt off it towards some of the men, drawing his sword and slicing his gun as he landed. He then kicked the man in the chest to take him down before elbowing a guy behind him, taking him out as well.

Donnie spun his staff around, deflecting the oncoming blaster fire. Thinking fast, Donnie extended his staff and swung it at three of the men, taking them out easily. Donnie then retracted his staff before running forward and swung his staff at another man like a baseball bat taking him out as well.

Mikey kept flipping around the alley, avoiding the constant blaster shots. After leaping into the air, Mikey threw several shruiken at the men's guns, knocking them out of their hands. Once Mikey landed next to then, he went wild with his Nunchucks, bashing every soldier in sight until they were all on the ground.

Raph dashed around the blaster fire until he reached the men. He then used the blunt end of his sai to bash and hit every man in sight. Raph quickly ducked under one oncoming strike and spin kicked him to the ground.

While the four turtles dealt with the soldiers, the android watched on in utter fascination.

"My word, those turtle fellows are completely thrashing those troops." he let out before resuming his search for weak points in the wall. "Well, I best not look this gift tauntaun in the oral cavity."

He located a metal panel, one that was covering the entrance into the alien equivalent of a storm drain. With a hearty punch, the android crumpled the metal, revealing his escape route.

"Huzzah!" he declared. "I am home free!"

He went to take his escape, but found himself unable to, looking back at the turtles as they wrapped up their battle.

"Oh, I just cannot abandoned those poor little fellows, not when they'll be at the mercy of that dastardly General..."

Back with the turtles, they were nearly done polishing off the men when one of them pulled out a radio.

"This is Commander Zetrig." he called out. "We've encountered heavy resistance. Requesting immediate back up! Repeat, we need-"

He was cut off by a staff to the head from Donatello.

"Guys, we got incoming!" He called back.

"So, fight or flight?" Leo proposed.

"I vote fight." Raph voiced.

"You always vote fight." Mikey commented.

"Excuse me, terrapin creatures?" The android called out, waving a metallic servo in the air. "I would suggest making a timely escape before more troops arrive. If you would be so kind as to follow me, I can lead us all to safety."

"Can we trust him?" Donnie asked.

"Do we have a choice?" Leo countered.

Donnie just shrugged as he and the rest of the turtles chased after it. The android jumped down into the storm drain, and one by one, the turtles followed it in. they slid for a few moments, almost as if they were on a water slide before landing in a stream of water running through the drain. The android shook its metallic hands, attempting to rid itself of the water as the turtles got to their feet.

"I dare say, I have never seen a group of beings as skilled as you four." the bot complimented. "You must be quite proud of your skills."

"We are, trust me." Leo confirmed.

"Perhaps some introductions are in order." the bot continued, giving a bow. "My name is Professor Zayton Honeycutt."

"I am Donatello."

"My name is Leonardo."

"I'm Michelangelo."

"The names Raphael, but that's enough about us. Mind telling us who the military nutsos chasing after you were?"

"Ah yes, I suppose I do owe you an explanation." The Professor remarked, stroking his metallic chin. "Those were the troops of General Blanque, an egotistical member of the Federation Army. He has been chasing me for some time now, attempting to steal the plans to a device I have invented."

"What kind of device?" Donnie asked.

"That would take a bit further explanation." Honeycutt explained. "Truth be told, I wasn't always an android."

This got the turtles attention.

"There was a time where I was a human, and a respected scientist working on fantastic inventions for the betterment of the galaxy." Honeycutt continued. "None the least of which was a specialized mental helmet that granted me the power of telekinesis. Unfortunately, not everyone wanted to see my genius used for peaceful purposes."

"I'm guessing that's where this Federation comes in?" Leo guessed.

"Right." Honeycutt confirmed. "For years, General Blanque had been hammering for the schematics I have for a teleportal device. A machine i intended for interplanetary transport to bring people together, but Blanque wanted to use the machine for warfare purposes. I was admittedly against him, much to his dismay."

"So how did you become this?" Donnie asked.

"Well one night, I was working on my mental helmet when my robotic assistant SAL, got tangled up in some vines working on my home." Honeycutt continued. "I went out to get him free, but in the process, it and I were struck by lightning. Somehow, my helmet's mental abilities fused my mind into SAL's body. By the time I awoke, my human body was burned to a crisp, and I was like this. It wasn't too long after when Blanque found out what happened, and he couldn't be happier. You see, robots have no rights in this part of the galaxy, so he was free to capture me and probe my mind for the information I now possess. So I ran, and I've been running ever since."

"A fugitive android." Mikey pieced together before an idea popped into his head. "A Fugitoid!"

"Actually that is the correct terminology on D'Hoonib." Honeycutt confirmed. "How did you know?"

"Uh…" Mikey replied nervously. "Lucky guess?"

"Hang on a second." Leo interjected. "You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

"The professor's teleportal." Raph declared. "That could be our ticket home!"

"Professor, can you build it?" Donnie practically begged.

"I am sorry, but I simply cannot." The Professor replied.

"WHAT?!" the turtles shouted.

"Hear me out." The Professor insisted. "If I do build my teleportal, then I risk the chance of it falling into the hands of General Blanque, or worse. I cannot take such a risk."

"But our world is in danger!" Donnie insisted. "Our home city has been taken over by these beings called the Kraang and-"

"The Kraang?" The Professor interrupted. "Oh we know about them here on D'Hoonib. Nasty creatures.

"We know." Leo agreed. "And they've taken over our home and have our father captive."

"And if we don't get back to stop them…" Raph added.

"I understand your plight, really I do." The Professor insisted. "But the risk here is still too great."

As eager as the turtles were to get home, they had to admit that the Professor's fears were sound. Luckily, Leo had an idea.

"Well, what if we got you off-world?" He suggested. "Took you somewhere Blanque can't find you. Then you could build your portal in safety."

"Yeah, and once it's finished, you could come with us back to Earth!" Mikey cheered.

"Earth?" The Professor repeated. "I have never heard of such a place."

"And odds are, neither has General Blanque." Raph pointed out. "You'd be safe from him, and we'd be home free."

The Professor mulled that over, then he seemed to come to a decision.

"You make a convincing argument." he told them. "Very well, you help me get off of this planet, and I will build my teleportal to send us all to your Earth."

"Great!" Leo let out. "Let's get going."

"Right," Fugitoid agreed. "We don't want to be down here when the cleaners activate."

"Chillax Professor." Mikey reassured as they started walking. "We've spent our entire lives in sewers. There ain't nothin down here we can't handle."

Before Mikey could start moving, he caught sight of something that baffled him to the core. Four fairly large rats in Technicolor masks walking down the tunnels being led by a turtle with a walking stick and a robe on.

"Cowabunga!" the rat in the orange mask let out as he and his companions disappeared down another pipe.

Soon they were gone, leaving Mikey perplexed and confused.

"Huh," he let out. "What do you know?"

"Mikey!" Raph snapped. "Let's go!"

"Alright!" Mikey yelled back, running to catch up. "Loosen your mask, Raph!"

...

In the Federation Army's control center, General Blanque, a red-haired man with a stern expression and a cruel gleam in his eye, sat in the center of the room, watching as several of his men scoured an array of screens for signs of the Fugitoid.

"Have we heard back from the team we sent into the Zeta quadrant yet?" He demanded. "They requested backup then we lost contact. I need answers people!"

"Checking General." one of his men responded.

There were a few seconds of silence, then the man spoke up again.

"Sir, apparently they located the Fugitoid, but where assaulted by a group of four off worlders." the man explained. "The team was defeated and the five fugitives escaped."

"What?!" Blanque cried out. "Keep searching the area! Post men at all spaceports! Make sure that Fugitoid doesn't leave this planet!"

"Yes sir!" the man replied. "What about the off worlders?"

"Capture them too." Blanque ordered. "But the Fugitoid is still top priority. I've come too far to let him and his plans for that teleportal slip through my fingers."

As several men scrambled to do as they were told, a woman with purple hair and a holographic eye piece slipped quietly out of the room. She took refuge in an empty closet, activating a wrist communicator hidden under her sleeve.

"You're in luck." she whispered as a fuzzy, dinosaur shaped figure appeared in a holographic image. "The Fugitoid escaped from General Blanque and is still on the loose. Unfortunately, he is now traveling with a group of four off worlders, ones that were able to defeat an entire squadron of men."

 _"Is this supposed to somehow intimidate me?"_ the voice on the other end asked.

"Not at all, but I do believe my price has just gone up." She replied. "Especially if you want information on these new players."

 _"Count yourself lucky that your greed is overshadowed by your usefulness to me."_ the voice chastised, coming out of the shadows to reveal himself as a large muscular triceratops like creature. _"You will get your reward, and I will get the android. Then I will use this teleportal to further the glory of the Triceraton Republic!"_

...

The turtles and the Fugitoid emerged from the storm drain, opening out onto another back alley. From where they stood, they could see a bustling marketplace where aliens of all shapes and sizes were milling about.

"Lot of freaky people out there." Raph commented.

"Yeah," Mikey agreed. "We'll fit right in."

"Um, I wouldn't be too sure about that." Donnie corrected.

He pointed up at a large billboard, where holographic signs displayed their faces, right alongside the Professor's. It was clear that the signs were wanted posters, and they were everywhere.

"Great, a planet of freaks and weirdos, and we still gotta sneak around in the shadows." Raph complained.

"How are we gonna get off planet now?" Leo asked.

"I'm afraid our only hope is to hire a smuggler to sneak us out of Federation territory." The Professor suggested. "I may know of somewhere we can go, but it is clear on the other side of the city."

"Then let's not waste time." Leo told them.

"Leo, I hate to burst your bubble, but while we may be ninjas, the Fugitoid is not." Mikey pointed out. "How the shell are we gonna get him across the city without getting spotted?"

That's when a pink wad of cloth suddenly collided with his face. He struggled against it, then pulled it off, turning to see Donnie holding several more in his hand. Above him was an old clothesline, one now devoid of its hanging laundry.

"With the ancient art of disguises, Mikey." Donnie remarked, handing out robes to Leo, Raph, and the Professor.

Mikey took a look at the robe Donnie had tossed at him, only to find it was absurdly girly.

"Hey, this is a girls robe!" he complained. "I wanna trade!"

"Not a chance, Mikey." Raph informed him.

"But-"

"Come on, let's go!" Leo ordered.

Mikey groaned, then reluctantly pulled the robe on.

...

"What do you mean you haven't found them yet?!" Blanque shouted, his voice reverberating throughout the command center.

"Sir, the Fugitoid disappeared, and has yet to reappear on our surveillance system." A young tech explained reluctantly.

"Keep searching!" Blanque ordered. "He's bound to show back up again sooner or later."

"We've already posted images of the four creatures, as well as the Fugitoid. If someone finds them, they will report in." The purple haired woman explained.

"Good." Blanque let out. "I want to know the second we get a lead! I've waited far too long to get my hands on that teleportal, and I'm not going to let some rogue robot and his freaky friends stand in my way!"

"Understood sir." the purple haired woman acknowledged.

...

After walking for a while, and having to keep Mikey away from the various food stalls they passed, the five fugitives arrived at a seedy pub that looked like it had been plucked straight out of Mos Eisley.

"You honestly think we're gonna find a pilot in this dump?" Leo asked.

"Naturally." Fugitoid replied. "This pub is where all of the smugglers in this region congregate. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy this side of the Iluvian asteroid belt."

Mikey was just about to make a joke when Raph slapped his hand over Mikey's mouth.

"Don't even think about it Mikey." the red turtle told him.

"Come along my friends," Fugitoid instructed. "We haven't got all day."

"Right," Mikey agreed, getting Raph's hand off his mouth. "Allons y!"

The others just raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor Who reference?" Donnie asked. "Really?"

"What? He sounds like David Tennant." Mikey defended. "Don't tell me you can't see it."

"Let's just go, ok?" Leo insisted.

The five entered the establishment, and saw a sea of aliens going about their business.

"Nice place." Raph remarked.

"So, who do we talk to about a ride off world?" Leo asked.

"And more importantly, who do we talk to about some food?" Mikey added. "I'm starving!"

"Might I suggest the D'Hoonibian spicy cheese disks?" The Professor offered up. "They are quite delectable, and this establishment makes the best in the quadrant."

"I'll go with Mikey to the counter so he doesn't get into trouble." Leo volunteered. "You two stay with the Professor and secure us a ride."

"You got it." Raph responded.

With that, Donnie, Raph, and Fugitoid went further into the pub while Leo and Mikey went to the counter.

"Excuse me?" Mikey called out. "I'll have one of those, spicy cheese disks please?"

The alien behind the bar looked at him, then slid a large, alien pizza in front of him before disappearing to the far corner of the bar. It picked up a communicator, dialing an emergency number.

"Hello?" the alien whispered. "I'm calling about the four off worlders and the Fugitoid."

As Mikey stuffed his face with the cheese disk, Leo just sat at the counter, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. What he didn't count on was some female alien take the seat next to him.

"Let me guess, first time off your home planet?" she asked, leaning against the counter in a seductive manner.

"Uh…" Leo let out, a bit surprised by the sudden conversation. "Y-yeah… is it that obvious?"

"Maybe a bit." she replied, scooting a bit closer. "Then again, I know just about everyone in this pub and yet I've never seen your pretty face before. You hear for business… or pleasure?"

"I… um..." Leo tried to respond, feeling flabbergasted. "W-what's it to you?"

"Just curious." she replied, brushing a lock of bright blue hair out of her eyes. "I'm Xentalia… You got a name, cutie?"

"Uh, yeah...L-Leonardo." Leo told her, feeling a bit hot under the shell.

"Leonardo." she repeated, placing an arm around his shoulder. "Lovely name."

Leo was starting to get a little uncomfortable. Just then, he looked down and saw a small pistol strapped to her ankle.

"Thanks." he replied with a new sense of confidence. "So, what's your story? Business, or murder?"

To the alien girl's credit, she maintained her poker face, even though her free hand began slowly sliding towards that pistol as her arm around Leo tightened somewhat.

"Murder?" she asked innocently. "What makes you say that?"

"How stupid do you think I am?" he asked, reaching using a free hand to reach behind his shell. "Honestly?"

"Stupid enough to remain distracted long enough for my backup to arrive." she replied, grabbing her pistol. "NOW!"

Just as she brought it up to fire, Leo pulled out a sword and cut the gun in half. She was left with Leo pointing a blade at her head.

"Who's stupid now?" Leo asked.

Just then, several Federation soldiers poured in through the entrances, surrounding the entire room.

"Still you, sweetheart." she replied as she backed away from Leo and into the safety of the Federation's blockade.

"It's official." Leo lamented. "I have the worst taste in women."

"Hey don't blame yourself Leo." Mikey consoled. "She probably could have made anyone look like a complete moron."

"Gee thanks." Leo replied sarcastically before eying an exit. "Head for the back door, I'll get the others."

"Right." Mikey confirmed as Leo went off.

Mikey slowly started sneaking towards the door when he bumped into a Federation soldier.

"You, get back with the others." he ordered.

"You couldn't possibly hit a lady?" Mikey asked in a girly voice. "But then again, a lady could hit you!"

With that, he pulled out a nunchaku and knocked the soldier's gun out of his hands with it before kicking him to the ground.

"You go girl." Xentalia complimented from the sidelines as more soldiers moved in.

"I can't leave you alone for one minute, can I Mikey?" Leo remarked as he and the others caught up with him.

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful." Mikey joked.

"Soldiers, ready to open fire!" one of the soldiers ordered.

"So much for blending in." Raph remarked.

"Right." Leo agreed as he and the others discarded their robes.

The turtles then went out to take on the Federation forces. Leo danced around the blaster shots, blocking them with his swords. As he finally got up to the soldiers, he kicked one in the chest before kicking another on top of Xentalia as she was getting away. As she tried to pull herself free, Leo stood over her.

"Still think I'm stupid?" he asked before punching her out.

Raph leapt into the air before landing in the center of four soldiers. He quickly punched out one, hit another in the gut, swept a third off his feet, and quickly got up to head-butt the fourth before they even had a chance to realize what was going on.

After dodging a blaster shot, Mikey extended his chain around one soldier, and pulled him in close. He then jumped over him as the soldier went flying into a group behind him, knocking them all to the ground. Mikey then landed on the ground with his chain retracted and a smirk on his face.

"How do you like that sukkah fools?" he let out.

Donnie quickly struck one soldier with his staff before sweeping another one off the ground. As the soldier fell, his gun went out of his hands for Donnie to grab.

"Whether on earth or an alien planet, a gun is still a gun." Donnie noted before blasting a few soldiers.

"Sir, we have to retreat!" one soldier insisted. "They're overpowering us!"

"Out of the question soldier!" the other soldier dismissed. "Blanque will have our heads if we return empty handed, and nothing is going to stop us from seizing that android!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" a gravelly voice declared seconds before the roof collapsed on top of the soldier that had just been talking.

"Now what?" Raph let out.

From the new hole in the roof, in poured several large anthropomorphic dinosaurs, triceratops to be precise. They all seemed to be wearing special green face masks on their snouts and were armed with bigger guns than those of the federation soldiers. The last one to enter had an eye patch over his left eye and a robotic left arm.

"There is the Fugitoid!" the one with the metal arm noted. "Seize it, now!"

"Yes Commander Mozar!" the troops responded as they started to move in.

"Triceratons!" The Professor screamed. "Here?!"

"I take it they're not the good guys?" Mikey guessed.

"The farthest thing from, I assure you." The Professor explained. "In fact they are perhaps the deadliest beings in the known universe, second only to the Kraang themselves"

"Then we should haul shell before they get a chance to get you! Leo declared.

"Easier said than done, Leo!" Raph exclaimed. "We've got Federation and Triceratons everywhere"

"Well they sure don't seem to be on friendly terms with one another." Donnie noted.

"Of course not." The Professor told him. "The two races have been at war for who knows how long."

"Maybe we can use that as a smokescreen to slip out of here." Donnie suggested.

"Anything's better than just standing here waiting to get vaporized." Leo agreed. "Let's move."

With that, the turtles and the Fugitoid started discreetly moving around the Federation and Triceraton soldiers. As they continued moving, one of the Triceratons caught sight of them, and took out a grenade he had on hand. Upon activating it, he lobbed it at the ground near them. Then it went off, launching the turtles one way, and the Fugitoid another. As the Fugitoid landed, he looked up to see he was at the feet of a Triceraton.

"Well, this isn't good." he let out.

Across the room, the turtles regained their senses as they got off the floor.

"Feels like my head's been used for a bell." Raph commented.

"I know how you feel." Mikey agreed.

"Hey, where's the Professor?" Donnie asked.

"Help!" the Fugitoid called out, causing the turtles to look and see him being carried away by some Triceratons. "I'm being Robo-napped!"

"Professor!" they all cried out.

"We gotta go after him!" Raph insisted.

"How?" Mikey asked. "It's a war zone between us and there!"

Donnie looked at the blaster he was still holding and one of the tables in the pub.

"Everyone onto the table!" he ordered. "I got an idea!"

"Seriously Don?" Raph asked.

"JUST DO IT!" Donnie yelled.

Raph just obliged as he and the others got onto the table. Donnie pressed a few buttons on the blaster before placing it under the table and getting on top of it himself.

"I hope there's more to your plan than being sitting targets." Raph told him.

"More like being a sitting rocket." Donnie corrected.

"Wait, what?!" Leo let out.

Before he could protest any further, the blaster exploded, rocketing the table, and the turtles on it upwards through the hold the Triceratons made in the ceiling. Once they were outside, the table lost momentum and fell back down to the roof, causing the turtles to land with a thud.

"Don," Raph spoke. "Next time... A little more warning...would be nice."

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" he replied.

As the turtles got to their feet, they saw that on the street was a yellow spaceship with two Triceratons getting into it with the Fugitoid. The ship powered up and took off away from the city.

"They're getting away with the Professor!" Mikey yelled.

"We gotta go after them." Raph told them. "He's our only ticket home."

"Not to mention with the teleportal plans in the hands of the Triceratons, they could use that technology to wreak untold destruction across the galaxy." Donnie added.

"There's more at stake here than just earth now."

"All the more reason for us to rescue him and get back home!" Leo declared. "We just need some transportation."

"How about that?" Mikey asked, pointing to a hovercraft sitting not far from them.

"That bucket of bolts?" Raph criticized.

"Hey you can look for a stretch limo if you want," Donnie said. "We just need functional."

The four made it down to the street level and Donnie quickly got to work trying to start the craft. After a bit of tinkering, the engines finally powered up.

"Cars or alien hovercrafts, I can hotwire anything." Donnie boasted.

"Pat yourself on the back later." Leo told him as they all got inside. "We have a robot to rescue."

"Dibs on the sidecar!" Mikey called out, getting into the seat.

"You sure you know how to fly this thing Don?" Raph asked, fastening his seat belt tight.

"Like a turtle do." Donnie quipped, pressing a button.

Suddenly, the craft flew backwards into a wall, causing the turtles to jerk forward a bit.

"Whoops." Donnie let out. "Hehe. Must have had it in reverse."

"You don't say." Raph replied.

After a bit of working, Donnie finally had it going forward, and in pursuit of the Triceratons.

...

After a bit of flying, Donnie could see the ship carrying the Professor in the distance. He began closing the gap as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, in doing so, he alerted the Triceratons to their presence.

"This is Mozar," the commander called. "We have the Fugitoid, but we're being pursued by the terrapin creatures. Destroy them!"

 _"Affirmative!"_ a Triceraton on the other end replied.

As the turtles continued pursuing them, they noticed three Triceratons on some kind of hover platforms pursuing them.

"We got incoming!" Donnie declared, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

"Quick, where are the weapons?" Mikey asked.

"Mikey," Donnie said calmly. "This is a civilian hovercraft. THERE ARE NO WEAPONS!"

"Remember what Master Splinter said," Leo reminded. "In the hands of a true ninja master, anything can be a weapon."

With that, Leo got up and used his sword to pry off the seat next to him. He then picked it up and waited for the Triceratons to get in close.

"You boys look pretty tired!" Leo cried out. "Have a seat!"

He then threw the seat at one of the Triceratons, causing him to fly out of control before crashing into the jungle below.

"Right," Mikey said looking around him. "Anything can be a weapon."

He then looked down at his console and saw several technicolored buttons before him.

"Button!" he cried out. "Buttons can do things right? One of those things could be a weapon!"

Mikey then proceeded to start pressing buttons randomly in the hopes that one of them could help their dire situation. He hit one button, and the connection piece keeping the sidecar attached to the hover vehicle snapped off, sending the side car into a free fall. Mikey quickly jumped out of it, extending the chain of his nunchaku up towards Leo.

"I got ya!" Leo called out, grabbing the chain.

Leo then pulled Mikey up back into the car,

"Thanks for the save bro." Mikey told him.

Just then, one of the blasts from the Triceratons hit one of the engines, causing the turtles to panic.

"Uh, might want to put those thanks on hold." Leo told him.

"We're going down!" Donnie yelled.

Everyone braced themselves as the hover car went down, colliding with several trees before crashing to the ground and skidding to a stop. Once the car came to a complete halt, everyone piled out onto the ground, groaning in pain and disorientation.

"Nice driving Don." Raph sarcastically complimented.

"Hey it could've been worse." Donnie told him.

"But they got away," Mikey reminded them. "And with the Professor."

"That doesn't mean we're just gonna stand here and sulk!" Leo declared. "Don said it himself, if the Triceratons get the Professors teleportal, countless innocents will suffer at their hands. I for one am not gonna let that happen!"

The others looked at each other a moment before stepping forward.

"Me neither." Raph voiced.

"We'll get the Professor back." Donnie agreed.

"Even if we have to take on an army of Triceratons to do it!" Mikey added. "Especially when we prefer not to!"

Just then, the sounds of gunfire filled the air, putting the turtles on full alert.

"What was that?" Raph asked.

"Fighting." Leo answered. "And lots of it."

"Think it's the Federation and the Triceratons?" Donnie posed.

"If it is, then the Professor's gotta be with them." Leo pieced together.

"Then why are we standin around like a bunch of wallflowers?" Raph asked. "Let's go!"

The turtles then bolted towards the direction the gunfire was coming from.

...

Not too far away, a massive battle between the Triceratons and the Federation was taking place, with some of the Triceratons carrying the Fugitoid inside a seemingly fortified bunker. He was brought inside just as the turtles showed up.

"Guys!" Mikey cried out. "Fugitoid, 12 o'clock!"

"No time for stealth!" Leo told them. "Let's just get out there and get our friend back!"

With that, the turtles charged out onto the battlefield. Dodging each blaster bolt and knocking down any soldier that got in their way. They could see the doors to the bunker beginning to slowly close, forcing them to pick up the pace.

"Guys, move it!" Donnie yelled.

Just as they doors were about to close, the turtles leapt up and jumped inside the rapidly vanishing opening, pulling through scant seconds before it slammed shut. The

turtles all let out a sigh of relief as they caught their breath.

"Whew." Mikey let out. "That was close."

"You said it Mikey." Leo agreed, putting away his swords. "Come on, let's find the Professor and get out of here."

The turtles began to move deeper into the bunker, only to be suddenly thrown off their feet by an unexpected earthquake.

"What the shell?" Raph let out.

"Guys," Donnie spoke. "I don't think this bunker is a bunker at all."

All off a sudden, an unbelievable pressure forced them against the ground as the rumbling became harder and harder. Mikey, who had been pushed onto his back, could feel the pressure rippling his lips in a strange manner.

"I see why dogs enjoy this sensation!" he shouted over the deafening noise and unceasing rumbling.

For several minutes, the turtles couldn't so much as twitch, then, just as suddenly as it began, the rumbling ceased, and with it, the unbearable pressure. The turtles were once again able to move, but more than that, they found themselves floating about the bunker as if they were weightless.

"Whoa," Mikey let out. "I think the Triceratons forgot to… wait, I already made that joke, give me a minute, I'll think of something else."

"Just as I thought." Donnie confirmed. "We're in a spaceship.

"A spaceship to where?" Raph asked.

"Presumably the Triceraton home world." Donnie replied.

"Uh, guys?" Leo began. "I just thought of something. If this is a ship, then shouldn't there be some sort of artificial gravity?"

"Perhaps in more essential parts of the ship, but we're most likely in some sort of loading bay." Donnie remarked. "To be real honest, I'm surprised we're getting a steady air flow."

"Yeah… about that." Raph remarked, glancing over at a panel along the wall. "I don't think we are. This thing's got a bar on it slowly moving into the red zone."

"In that case, save your breath!" Leo ordered. "We're gonna have a very short supply in a few moments."

As if to prove him right, an alarm began blaring as a hole began to open on the roof of the cargo bay. The air began pouring out, dragging with it anything that was not tied down.

"That can't be good." Mikey noted.

Thankfully for the turtles, a large container was forced up against the hole by the immense air pressure, and as it crumbled to fit the hole, the vacuum of space was sealed off from them once more. Unfortunately, by the time this occurred, all of the oxygen had been practically used up. The turtles began to choke, feeling as if they were being suffocated. Spots danced along their vision as they attempted to hold what little breath they had left, but their prospects were looking grim, possibly fatal.


	37. The Arena of Carnage

_My name is Professor Zayton Honeycutt, or at least it was. These days, I am mostly known as a Fugitoid, on the run from the Federation Army. They want the plans for my Teleportal device, plans I refuse to let them take from me. I have been on the run for some time now, but thankfully I came across an unlikely group of allies; four adolescent alien warrior terrapins that have agreed to help me in exchange for me sending them back to their home planet._

 _We were in the middle of securing transport off world before we were accosted by Triceratons. In the confusion, I was Robo-napped and brought aboard one of their vessels. My friends have no doubt done what they can to try and save me, but I can only hope I have not inadvertently lead them to their doom._

...

On board the ship, Professor Honeycutt was brought to the bridge by two Triceratons. He glanced around nervously before his robotic eyes focused on Mozar at the head of ship, looking out at the vastness of space through the window of the ship.

"Ah Professor Honeycutt." Mozar greeted turning to face him. "Welcome aboard, I am Commander Mozar. My superior has been anxious to meet you."

"Has he now?" Fugitoid asked coyly. "Well it's nice to know I'm popular."

"Indeed." Mozar agreed.

"Sir," A voice called out on communications. "We detected a breach in the hull of the cargo bay."

"Well check it out!" Mozar called back. "I don't want even a piece of inventory missing when we reach the home world."

"Yes sir!"

"We have a few Trigons before we reach the home world." Mozar said, turning back to Fugitoid. "In the meantime Professor, perhaps we should get to know each other more."

…

Down in the cargo bay, two Triceratons entered, more than a bit put off by the amount of carnage there was. Glancing up at the top of the hull, the two could see the crushed remains of the cabinet keeping the cargo bay sealed.

"The Prime Leader is not going to be pleased when he learns about this." One muttered.

"Look!" the other called out.

The two turned to see the turtles in meditation positions and sitting as still as stones.

"The terrapin creatures." The first gasped. "Still alive?!"

"Alert Commander Mozar!" The second one told him. "And get some atmosphere converters!"

The first one nodded before running off.

…

After several minutes of being transported and manhandled by the Triceratons, the turtles were eventually locked in a small cell before being left alone. There was about another minute before Donnie finally decided to move. He opened his eyes, then slowly sat up from where his alien jailor had tossed him. The first thing he did was examine the device currently attached to his belt. It was quite similar to the atmosphere converter that he had salvaged from the Kraang during their misadventure in Dimension X, only much more high-tech.

"Guys." he called out.

The others finally broke their trance as they got a look around their new surroundings.

"Well… this is another fine mess we've found ourselves in." Leo commented.

"Hey, at least we're alive." Mikey reminded.

"Hey Don, why do we have your stupid rebreathers in our mouths?" Raph questioned, thumbing the straw dangling from the corner of his mouth.

"They're not mine." Donnie told him. "I think the Triceratons gave them to us."

"Why?" Mikey asked pulling his out. "We're out of danger and-"

Before he could finish, he began choking on the air he attempted to breath. Leo moved like lightning, shoving the straw back into Mikey's mouth.

"Ok…" Mikey spoke, taking several heavy breaths. "That was dumb."

They soon heard a cruel chuckling emanating from the cell door. They turned to see a Triceraton standing over them.

"You fools." he taunted. "We Triceratons don't breathe your oxygen. Our atmosphere is a hearty mixture of nitrogen and sulfur."

"And you didn't think to tell me before I nearly killed myself?!" Mikey let out.

"I was curious to see how you'd react." he replied. "Frankly I'm surprised you're still alive at all after being in the cargo bay for so long."

"It's a technique called Qigong, internal breathing." Leo explained. "Our ninja training allows us to slow our heart rate and breath for extended periods of time."

"Must be easy for you horn heads." Raph taunted. "Your brains don't seem to use any air at all.

"Insolent whelp!" he cried out, aiming his blaster at him.

"Enough!" The Triceraton in the cockpit called back. "You know Commander Mozar wants them alive."

The Triceraton snarled angrily, then turned his back to the turtles to resume his post. The turtles then turned to each other grinning.

"Fellas," Raph spoke. "I got a plan."

As the Triceraton kept watch, he felt something continue to lift his tail and drop it. He turned around to see Mikey grabbing his tail through the bars. The orange turtle looked up in surprise.

"Oh, is this yours?" Mikey asked innocently.

"Why you," the Triceraton let out reaching a hand out towards him.

Leo and Raph seized the opportunity and grabbed the Triceratons hand, slamming him against the bars. Donnie then reached for his belt and grabbed a key card off it.

"All too easy." Raph remarked as Donnie used the key card to open the door.

Once the door was open, the turtles tossed the Triceraton into the cell and sealed him inside. Raph grabbed his blaster before the four made it up to the cockpit.

"Alright horn head." Raph spoke, aiming his blaster at the Triceraton. "Take us to where you're holding the Professor, or you'll be looking for a new head."

"I'd listen to him if I were you." Leo warned. "He can get pretty cranky when he doesn't get what he wants."

"Alright, alright." The Triceraton replied. "Just take it easy."

Unbeknownst to the turtles, the Triceraton slowly moved his hand towards one of the buttons hidden on the underside of the control console. With one push, electric circuits on the turtles' atmosphere converters them all. The turtles dropped to the ground, semi-conscious and writhing in pain.

"Nice try, offworlders." he remarked.

…

With the Fugitoid, he was finally transported to the home world, which looked like a cone shaped fragment of a planet than an actual planet. The outside of it was decorated with smaller versions of the home world attached to it with metal claws. The Professor was brought to a throne room where a Triceraton in regal armor and a purple cape sat in anticipation.

"Prime Leader Zanramon," Mozar spoke. "I present you with Professor Zayton Honeycutt."

"Excellent." Zanramon replied, rising from his throne. "Welcome Professor."

"Zanramon." Honeycutt let out. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"No need for hostility Professor." Zanramon countered, walking towards him. "Why, if it weren't for the fine work of my commander and his men, you'd be in the process of being dissected by Blanque and his Federation flunkies."

"Then why does it feel like I've traded one prison for another?" Fugitoid asked.

"Prison?" Zanramon repeated shocked. "Far from it. I seek not to enslave you, but to present you with an offer."

Fugitoid raised a pixelated eyebrow at that.

"What kind of offer?" he asked.

"Simply this," Zanramon addressed. "If you agree to work with me and build your teleportation device, I will make you an official citizen of the Triceraton Republic. You would have the most advanced laboratories, unlimited funding and resources for your experiments. You wouldn't only be accepted, but celebrated as one of the greatest scientific minds of our time."

Zanramon looked down at him grinning.

"What do you say?" he asked.

"While your offer is indeed an enticing one, I cannot, and will not, build my teleportal." The Fugitoid replied.

"You insufferable little tin can! I'll-"

He quickly caught himself before continuing.

"Pardon," he apologized. "Sometimes I get too excited. You're certain there's nothing that can change your mind?"

"I am 100% positive." The Fugitoid replied without a moment's hesitation.

"Mozar," Zanramon spoke again. "What is the status of the four terrapin stowaways you found in the cargo bay of your ship?"

"We had them detained in the brig, but apparently they attempted to escape." Mozar explained. "Of course, they were immediately subdued and recaptured."

"What?!" Fugitoid let out.

"Shall we proceed with transporting them to Incarceron?" Mozar asked.

Zanramon stroked his chin for a moment.

"We can't risk it." he replied. "If this is what they can do in transport, imagine what they'll do to the prison."

Suddenly, Zanramon perked up.

"I have a better idea." He continued. "Take them to the Tri-sports arena. If these Terrapins insist on having a fighting spirit, we might as well make sport out of it."

"Yes sir." Mozar replied before heading out.

"You cannot do this!" The Professor protested. "The terrapin creatures are innocent!"

"This is a valid point." Zanramon admitted. "If only there were something you could do to save them."

Fugitoid looked down in dismay, wondering what would be the right thing to do.

…

Meanwhile, the turtles were being transported to one of the smaller tri-bases. They all looked out the window to see a large arena inside with stands full of spectators. Inside the arena itself, a match was taking place between a Triceraton with an axe, and a smaller alien opponent. The Triceraton had the alien pinned to the ground as he brought his axe down. The turtles grimaced in horror.

"I think we were better off with the prison." Donnie lamented.

"I think we were better off with the vacuum of space." Mikey gulped.

…

After being taken down, the turtles were all shoved into a stone holding area. Raph tried to charge the door, just as it sealed shut.

"Let us out of here dino breath!" Raph cried out.

"Save it Raph." Donnie said, knocking his fist against the wall. "This place is solid stone. No way we're getting out of here."

"There has to be some way out." Leo insisted.

As they were looking around, Mikey found an opening near the ceiling.

"How about there!" Mikey called out, pointing towards it.

"It's worth a try." Leo agreed.

"D, give me a boost." Mikey told him.

Donnie crouched down as Mikey got onto his shoulders. Slowly but surely, Donnie stood up, giving Mikey the height he desired.

"A little to the left…" Mikey instructed. "A little more…"

With a little maneuvering, Donnie got Mikey neared the opening. Mikey tried grabbing one of the bars, but only received several volts of electricity coursing through both his and Donnie's systems. The purple turtle lost his balance due to the shock and he and Mikey fell to the ground.

"I… am getting really tired… of being ELECTROCUTED! Donnie shared.

"Save your breath young ones." a new voice told them, causing the turtles to jump. "There is no escape from the tri-sports arena."

The turtles looked around to try and find the source of this mysterious voice.

"Who's there?" Leo asked.

"A lonely prisoner such as yourselves." the voice answered. "Merely numbering the days until my final battle in the arena."

The turtles turned towards the wall Mikey tried to climb. It was clear that this voice was coming from the cell right next to theirs.

"How long have you been here?" Mikey asked, leaning next to the wall.

"Long enough." he replied.

"Any idea what we can expect from this place?" Raph asked.

"Fresh meat always fights the Spasmosaur." he told them. "You will meet a quick and painful end."

"Well that's encouraging." Donnie remarked.

With that, the doors to their cell opened up, revealing some Triceraton guards waiting for them.

"Prisoners, prepare yourselves." One of the guards declared.

"Good luck, warriors." the adjacent prisoner told them. "You'll need it."

"Thanks dude." Mikey replied. "BTW, what's your name?"

"They call me...Zeno."

…

 _Welcome one and all to the Triceraton games in the beautiful tri-sports arena! I'm your host Raz and joining me as always is my co-host Zed. We have quite a line-up for you folks tonight, don't we Zed?_

 _Sure do Raz. Our first event of the day brings us some new meat. For the first time anywhere: the adolescent alien warrior terrapins!_

From one end of the arena, a large bay door slowly lifted up, and the four turtles were shoved out into the arena. They were left without their weapons, and a quick glance around the arena made it clear that they had no chance of fashioning themselves any either.

"Well ain't this a lovely situation?" Raph jeered.

"Hey, who knows?" Mikey asked. "Maybe this Spasmosaur won't be so bad."

As for their opponent, we have the fan favorite. You know it, they fear it, and we all love it! The Spasmosaur!

Another bay door started opening up, revealing a huge, purple monster. It didn't appear to have any eyes, but it did have several long tentacles that whipped and thrashed around wildly. It let out an ear-splitting howl, revealing rows of jagged, sharp teeth.

"You were saying?" Raph asked.

"Call me crazy, but I think I actually miss the Shredder right about now." Mikey lamented.

"They expect us to fight that thing?" Donnie asked.

"I think they expect us to die fighting that thing." Leo answered.

"Yeah, well I ain't going out without busting a few fangs on that thing first." Raph said, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles.

"Then let's give them a show." Leo declared as they all ran forward.

With uncanny synchronicity, the turtles leapt onto their hands and sprung forward, hoping to kick the creature in the face. Unfortunately, the Spasmosaur slapped Mikey and Donnie aside and grabbed hold of Raph and Leo. Donnie quickly shook off the feelings of impact and got back to his feet, running towards the thing with a fist drawn back. However, the Spasmosaur grabbed his fist and raised him into the air before slamming him on the ground. It then brought Raph closer to its mouth, attempting to eat him. Fortunately, Raph propped himself against the creatures jaw with his teeth, preventing him from going in. Mikey finally got up and saw what was happening. Thinking fast, Mikey ran up the backside of the creature and leapt into the air intending to do a dropkick on it.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey let out.

The impact caused the creature to release Raph so its attention could be diverted towards Mikey. Raph seized the opportunity to grab hold of one of the creature's tentacles and pull with all his might, seemingly trying to pull it off. The creature just whipped him aside, causing Raph to tumble across the ground. Donnie regained his senses again and pulled himself free of the tentacle holding him. He then delivered a hard kick to the tentacle holding Leo, freeing him as well. The turtles then all leapt off and reconvened together to try and come up with a plan.

"How the shell to we fight this thing?" Raph asked.

"Right?" Donnie agreed. "Its elasticity is incredibly resilient."

"Yeah, and it's really rubbery too." Mikey added.

As Leo looked around the stadium, he saw a giant statue of Prime Leader Zanramon in the corner of the arena. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, and a pretty damn good one too.

"Guys, I have a plan." He told them. "We need to make a break for that corner."

"Run away?" Raph asked. "Are you pulling my shell?"

"Call it a tactical retreat." Leo told him.

Just then one of the Spasmosaur's tentacles whipped out, knocking Raph back a ways.

"Retreat huh?" Raph repeated getting back up. "I can live with that."

With that, the turtles made a break for it, with the Spasmosaur following in hot pursuit.

 _Wow! Look at that thing go! I didn't know the Spasmosaur could move that fast!_

 _I didn't think the Spasmosaur could move at all Raz._

"So now we're running." Mikey pointed out. "Is there a second part to your plan?!"

"Yes." Leo confirmed. "Be ready to move on the count of 'jump'."

The others raised an eyebrow at their brother's choice of words as they quickly approached the corner of the arena.

"Jump!" Leo yelled.

The turtles then jumped onto the corner and bounced off, causing the Spasmosaur to collide with the wall head on. The entire arena seemed to shake from the force of the blow, and the large statue of Prime Leader Zanramon began to sway precariously. Finally, the statue fell on top of the Spasmosaur, crushing it against its weight as the turtles landed on the ground. The act caused a massive uproar of cheers among the spectators.

 _I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it!_

 _You said it Zed! These off worlders managed to slay the Spasmosaur! No one has been able to accomplish that!_

 _It seems we have some new fan favorites here today!_

The crowds erupted with cheers for the turtles. The turtles were surprised by this, but accepting of it nonetheless. Of course, no one was enjoying it more than Michelangelo.

"Alright!" he cried out. "Thank you! Thank you! We love you! Thank you! Tha-"

Leo quickly cut him off by placing his hand over his mouth.

"And thank you Michelangelo." Leo replied. "Knock it off before you make a complete fool of yourself."

"Sorry." Mikey replied muffled.

…

Back in Zanramon's throne room, he and the Fugitoid were watching the event. Seeing the turtles come out triumphant was a most welcome relief for the Professor, but to the Prime Leader, it was a complete and utter shock.

"As my colleagues like to say, Booyakasha!" The Professor let out.

"An impressive feat, I must concede." Zanramon admitted. "But the Spasmosaur was just a mindless beast. I do wonder how your friends would fair against a true gladiator."

With Zanramon started walking off, shuffling Fugitoid along with him.

"Come Professor." he told him. "I think this next match is something you'll want to see in person."

…

After the match, the turtles were unceremoniously shoved back inside their cell. They recovered, Raph glaring at the door.

"When we get out of this, I am going to beat those dinosaurs back to the Stone Age!" Raph exclaimed.

"You survived." Zeno noted. "You should be commended. Fending off the Spasmosaur is a feat very few can claim."

"Thanks." Mikey replied. "So, what are you in here for?"

"I am a traitor to the Triceraton Republic." Zeno told them.

"Really?" Leo asked, crouching on the wall near his cell. "Why?"

"I was once a decorated Triceraton officer," he recalled. "But I disapproved of the procurement of certain weapons of mass destruction the Prime Leader was determined to use. I spoke out against him, and for my actions I was sent down here."

"That's terrible." Donnie lamented.

"It matters little anymore." Zeno lamented. "The honor the Triceraton Republic once held dear has long since been snuffed out. Those who believed in those ideals are now dead or too scared to do anything about it."

"Then they need to know that they are not alone." Leo remarked, "They need to know that there are others out there willing to stand up for what's right."

"That is a wonderful dream." Zeno replied. "If only it were so."

Just then, the door to their cell slid open as the guards returned.

"You're up again, aliens." the guard declared. "Out."

"Already?" Leo questioned.

"They're certainly not wasting any time." Raph remarked.

"I fear I know who you are fighting next, turtles." Zeno informed them. "Fight with honor and you will find glory."

"Always do, always will." Leo replied.

"See ya Zeno." Mikey called back. "Good luck getting out of here."

"Thank you, my friend." Zeno replied as his own cell door opened up. "I might need it."

…

The turtles made their way through the hallway towards the entrance to the arena.

"I don't suppose it would be too much to ask for our weapons back?" Raph asked.

"Weapons?" the guard scoffed. "Why prolong the inevitable?"

"Kaaaaaay," Mikey replied sarcastically. "It's your execution."

The guard raised an eyebrow at that.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Nothing, I was just under the impression that the Prime Leader wanted some big show." Mikey told him. "Guess I was wrong. If he wants it quick and boring, that's fine with me."

The guard growled in response.

"Fine!" he let out, walking towards one of the weapons walls. "It won't make that much of a difference anyway."

The guard returned and dumped out the turtles weapons onto the ground. The four of them were each quick to reclaim their respective weapons. Mikey then looked around as if something was missing.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked.

"I don't know what you're-"

The green stick." Mikey told him.

The guard rolled his eyes before grabbing Splinter's walking stick off the wall and tossing it to him.

"Here." he told them. "I doubt it will do you much good."

Mikey clutched the stick before sticking in on the back of his shell.

"No way I'm leaving without this." Mikey said, patting the stick.

"Nice work Mikey." Leo complimented.

"What can I say?" Mikey replied. "I have a natural talent for getting under people's skin."

Raph remarked.

…

Eventually, Zanramon and Fugitoid made their way to the royal box, where Zanramon took his seat. The Professor looked around the arena, a sinking feeling coursing through his circuits.

"Citizens of the Triceraton Republic!" Zanramon addressed. "It is my esteemed pleasure to introduce today's main event! As most of you are no doubt aware, we have some new off world combatants in our ranks."

The crowd erupted in applause at the mention of the turtles. Zanramon held up a hand, signifying silence from the crowd.

"Yes, yes, they are incredible." Zanramon continued. "While they were able to vanquish the Spasmosaur, their true metal has yet to be tested! So allow me to welcome, the Terrapin Warriors!"

The bay door opened up and turtles went out. Once they were out in the arena, they drew their weapons, ready for whatever threat they'd have to face next.

"So what do you think they'll make us fight this time?" Mikey asked.

"And their opponent," Zanramon proceeded. "He is a fan favorite in the games. His skill is incomparable. His ferocity is unmatched! My friends, it is my esteemed honor to introduce, the mighty, the unconquerable, ZENO!"

The turtles went wide eyed at the sound of that name.

"Dudes, did he say-" Mikey started to ask.

Just then, the doors across from them started to open up. From them, came out a large, muscular Triceraton dressed in gladiator garb and wielding a large hammer. He struck the hammer onto the ground and let out a massive roar into the air, causing much cheering from the audience.

"That's Zeno?!" Mikey squeaked. "He's huge!"

"Forgive me my friends." Zeno apologized. "I did not mean to deceive you. But now we must face each other in glorious battle. May you meet your end with honor."

With that, Zeno raised his hammer and tried to bring it down on the turtles, causing them to scatter. Donnie ran back towards him and tried striking him with his staff. With every strike however, Zeno was able to block it. He tried bringing down his hammer again, but Don just jumped on top of is and struck him across the face with his staff. Zeno replied by swatting Donnie away with his free hand, knocking him across the stadium.

Mikey spun his Nunchucks wildly as he ran towards Zeno. He leapt into the air and attempted to kick him in the face. Unfortunately, Zeno caught Mikey's leg and slammed him into the ground. He then used his hammer to knock Mikey across the arena and right into Donnie.

Raph went up next as Zeno turned to face him. As Zeno brought his hammer down, Raph jumped into the air and caught it in his sai as he kicked him in the face. Zeno stepped back a bit in pain as he dropped his weapon. Raph took the opportunity to run up and deliver several blows to him using his sai and elbow.

"You are honorable warriors." Zeno commended. "Perhaps I will be merciful and merely cut off a limb or two."

"Don't! Do! Me! Any! Favors!" Raph replied before striking Zeno across the face.

Zeno stumbled back a bit before bringing his hands together and knocking Raph back into Donnie and Mikey. Leo came up and tried swinging his swords at him. With each strike, Zeno backed away, barely avoiding them. Leo then leapt into the air and kicked Zeno in the face. As he landed, he swung both his swords at him, only for them to be grabbed by Zeno. He then threw Leo across the field and right into his brothers, causing them to all lump together into a pile. The turtles all slowly got to their feet as Zeno stood over them

"Zeno please!" Mikey pleaded. "You can't do this!"

"I am sorry." Zeno lamented.

"Zeno," Leo spoke. "I know things seem hopeless for you, but there are those out there who believe in the ideals of honor and justice. You say they're scared, well give them reason not to be. Give them a reason for them to fight! On our world we have a saying; 'evil wins when good people do nothing'. And I'm sorry to say, nothing is what you're doing now."

Zeno was taken aback by this.

"If you really believe that honor should return to this corrupt race, then stand and fight back! But if not,"

Leo then tossed down his swords. The others followed suit and threw down their weapons as well.

"Then do what you feel you have to."

Zeno looked down at the display before him. Then he looked up to the royal box, where Zanramon and Fugitoid were still watching.

"Last chance Professor." Zanramon told him. "Build my teleportal, or your friends will perish this day!"

"I will never build it." The Professor declared, determined to keep his word. "Never."

"So be it." Zanramon replied.

He then gave Zeno a thumbs down, signifying death. Zeno then raised his hammer overhead, causing the turtles to brace themselves. Suddenly, Zeno threw his hammer threw the air, right at Zanramon, causing the Prime Leader to duck. The hammer decimated his throne, leaving it nothing but stone and dust.

"What," he let out before turning to Zeno. "What treachery is this?!"

"I am through living this charade!" Zeno cried out. "I am threw battling for your amusement while innocent beings suffer, both Triceraton and off worlders alike! We Triceratons were once honorable warriors, but you would use weapons like the Heart of Darkness and have us battle like some cowardly Kraang!"

That last statement caused massive gasps from the crowd and made Zanramon boil over with fury.

"Guards seize him!" he ordered. "And send in the All-stars for the turtles. We might as well still have a show of all this."

Just then, several Triceraton guards armed with electro-whips came out and wrapped their whips around Zeno, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Zeno!" Mikey cried out as the turtles tried to run out towards him.

Unfortunately, their path was stopped by some scattered blaster fire from the guards as they carted Zeno off. Just then, another door opened up, revealing four more Triceratons dressed in similar armor to Zeno and armed with swords, a spear, a kusarigama, and a three piece nunchaku.

 _What a treat folks, Monza ram and his All-Star Triceratons are some of the fiercest warriors in the Tri-Sports Arena_

 _That's for sure Raz. They're the only ones to ever come close to Zeno's prowess on the battlefield._

 _These off worlders are gonna have a rough time here._

"Well, out of the frying pan." Donnie remarked.

"And into the fire." Raph finished.

"What do we do now?" Mikey asked.

"What we always do." Leo answered. "We kick some shell!"

With that, the turtles charged forward towards the Triceraton gladiators. The bail sword wielding Triceraton took a swing at Leo, but he quickly jumped over the blades. As Leo landed, he quickly spun around and blocked the bail swords with his own. The two continued clashing blades with continued speed and ferocity. As they locked weapons, Leo aimed one of his blades down to the ground. Leo then pulled his sword free, hitting the Triceraton in the chin with the hilt of his blade. As the Triceraton stumbled back, Leo leapt into the air and kicked him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Raph duked it out with the Triceraton wielding a kusarigama, blocking the chain with his sai on every strike. Finally, the Triceraton managed to wrap his chain around Raph and pulled him in close. Raph wasted no time kicking the Triceraton in the chest as he came in close. He freed himself from the chain as he landed and the Triceraton fell to the ground.

Donnie got to his knees and slid under the Triceratons spear as he ran up to him. Donnie then got to his feet and spun his staff around towards him, only for the Triceraton to block his strike. The two shoved off before the Triceraton charged at Donnie and tried to swing at him again, but Donnie just leapt into the air to avoid it. He then activated the blade end of his staff to slice off the spearhead of his weapon before landing on the ground and smacking him across the face.

Mikey kept dancing around the strikes of the Triceraton's three piece.

"You call that Nunchuck skills?" Mikey taunted spinning his weapon. "This is Nunchuck skill!"

Mikey then wrapped his nunchaku around the three piece and managed to fling it out his hands. He then leapt into the air, striking him in the face with his weapon multiple times before dropping to the ground. He then leapt into the air once more and kicked him in the face.

 _This is incredible! These out worlders fight like… like Triceratons_

 _Let's move in closer to get a better look at the action._

As Donnie continued fighting, he looked up and saw a camera shuttle moving in closer. This gave him an idea.

"Mikey, slingshot me!" he cried out.

Mikey nodded and held his nunchaku in both hands. Donnie saw this and ran towards him. He jumped onto the chain and Mikey boosted him into the air. Donnie grabbed onto the ship and climbed up to the cockpit, where the co-hosts were sitting.

"Sorry boys, but your shows been cancelled!" Donnie taunted, pulling out his staff.

Donnie then knocked both hosts out of the ship so he could take control. He then piloted the ship down lower to the arena, where the others were waiting.

"Looks like Donnie's got our ride boys!" Leo observed.

"Aw yeah, we outie!" Mikey let out.

As Donnie brought the ship lower, the others leapt onto it as they flew off. As they continued flying, Mikey looked down and saw Fugitoid in the royal box.

"Dudes, there's Fugitoid!" Mikey pointed out.

"Donnie, takes us over there!" Leo instructed.

"You got it!" Donnie replied.

As Donnie tried to pilot the ship, several guards started shooting at their ship. One stray blaster bolt struck the ship, causing them to go down. Once they reached the box, the turtles bailed out before the ship crashed and exploded.

"Ah my friends!" Fugitoid let out. "So glad to see you are alright."

"You weren't worried were you Professor?" Donnie asked.

"Far from it, my friends." He replied. "I knew you would pull through."

Just then, several guards stormed into the box, with their weapons at the ready. Thinking fast, Leo stood in front of Zanramon and placed a blade against his throat.

"Drop your weapons!" Leo ordered. "Or you'll be looking for a new Prime Leader!"

"Oh boy," Mikey let out. "I just hope the people of this planet really like this Zanramon guy."


	38. Teleportation Desperation

_Oh hi, Donatello here. In a bit of a bind here and don't have a lot of time, so I'll just give you the highlights. For months now, Splinter has been missing. Up until recently, we assumed that he had perished at the hands of our arch nemesis; the Shredder. But through a mystic vision, we learned he was still alive somewhere. After undergoing individual Vision Quests to regain our confidence, we returned New York to find our Sensei, and save the city, which had fallen under the control of the Kraang. We tracked him down to the TCRI building. TCRI, being the same letters on the canister of Kraang mutagen that made us who we are today._

 _Before we could have the chance to save him though, we were transported to the other end of the galaxy, to the planet D'Hoonib. Beautiful technology, horrible people. Well except this one guy we met named Professor Zayton Honeycutt, AKA the Fugitoid. He's on the run because he has the plans for a massive teleportal device, which sounds like our ticket home, but he refuses to build it. Mostly because two waring alien races, the Federation and the Triceraton Republic, want to use the device for warfare purposes so they can rule the universe._

 _So to pick things up, we fought some soldiers, blew a few things up, got captured, thrown into these gladiatorial games, fought a Spasmosaur, met a friend, fought him too, took out some all-star combatants, and finally secured our escape by taking the Prime Leader hostage._

 _And that about covers it. So, any questions?_

...

The entire Tri-Sports Arena was in an uproar. Not only had the games been thrown into disarray, but the Prime Leader was currently being held hostage by four off-worlders.

"Alright buddy," Raph said to the Prime Leader. "Why don't you be a nice hostage and tell your buddies to drop their weapons?"

Zanramon gulped, then slowly ushered for the guards to lower their weapons.

"Men, do what the terrapins said. Drop your weapons."

After a brief second of hesitation, the Triceratons tossed their weapons to the ground, their eyes never leaving Leo.

"That's more like it." Raph remarked, picking up one of the blasters. "Now, this place got a hanger bay around here? Any ships we can take?"

"The closest ship would be my personal cruiser." Zanramon answered. "It's docked in the hanger bay."

"Lead the way." Leo told him, still keeping the blade pointed at him.

Zanramon slowly started leading the turtles and the Fugitoid in the direction of the Hanger bay. Discreetly, he motioned his soldiers to follow him. They did so, maintaining a careful distance so as not to be spotted. Of course, their efforts were meaningless against the turtles.

"Leo, they're following us." Donnie hissed.

"I know Don." Leo replied. "Just keep going. The sooner we get to the hanger, the better."

Donnie nodded as the six of them continued into the building, hoping none of the Triceratons would be stupid enough to make a move on them while their precious leader was their 'guest'.

"Wait!" Mikey exclaimed. "I just remembered something. What about Zeno?"

Just then, a massive roar rang out in the arena. The turtles and Triceratons turned to see some guards being thrown through the doors. Out from those doors emerged Zeno, a little singed from the whips. But still standing strong. Some guards tried wrapping their whips around him again, but he just grabbed hold of them and pulled them in close, knocking them out as they came in close. As more Triceraton guards came in to try and subdue him, Zeno continued taking them out, one right after the other. The turtles watched this in amazement and pride.

"I think he can take care of himself Mikey." Leo reassured. "Come on, let's go."

With that, the turtles resumed moving out towards the hanger, hoping to find their much needed way home.

…

After some time, they finally made it to the hanger bay. There were several ships docked along the exit ramps, and the Prime Leader led them to a smaller ship near the end. At the sight of it, Mikey went wide eyed.

"Holy chalupa…" he let out, awestruck, "We're making our grand escape… in that?!"

"Yes indeed." The Professor confirmed. "The Prime Leader's personal space cruiser is one of the finest works of engineering in the entire Triceraton Republic."

"That… is… Awesomely Super Sensationalistic!"

"Escape first, geek out later!" Raph snapped.

"So what do we do once we get out of here?" Donnie asked. "I'm not well versed in Triceraton Engineering and even I can tell this thing doesn't have enough fuel to get us back to Earth."

Leo pondered for a moment.

"Professor, do you think you could build your teleportal with the parts of this ship?" He asked.

"I can certainly try." the professor answered. "However, in case this fails, I need you to do something for me, Leonardo."

"What's that Professor?" Leo asked.

"In the event that we fail and capture is imminent, I need you to ensure that the plans to the Teleportal device cannot fall into the hands of anyone." He told him. "I… I need you to destroy me."

"What?!" They all exclaimed.

"Professor I could never-" Leo tried to protest.

"The fate of the galaxy is far greater than any one man, or android." Fugitoid continued. "I am prepared to do whatever it takes to keep this information from falling into the wrong hands, so please, swear on your honor that when worst comes to worst, you'll do what is necessary."

Leo was taken aback. Admittedly he hadn't known the Fugitoid long, but he and his brothers had become good friends with him through it all. He didn't want to be the cause of his destruction, but he also knew he was right. Safeguarding the galaxy took precedence over any one life. So, he let out a breath of resignation before responding.

"I swear." Leo replied. "But I'm also gonna swear that I'm going to do everything in my power to keep that from happening."

"I expected nothing less." Fugitoid replied, smiling through his digital face. "Now let's get going."

"You expect me to just stand here while you fly off with my cruiser just so you can dissect it for parts?!" Zanramon exclaimed.

"Well I was thinking of shooting you out the nearest airlock." Raph taunted. "But since you've been such a good boy-"

Just then, another door opened up and a second platoon of soldiers let by Mozar entered.

"The terrapin creatures?!" he let out. "And they have the Prime Leader! Stop them!"

The soldiers then began opening fire on the turtles. Leo leapt out in front, deflecting the blasts with his swords as Raph laid down some returning fire.

"Tell your buddies to stand down!" Raph ordered.

"Stand down!" Zanramon commanded, stepping forward. "I order you to-"

Suddenly a stray blaster shot hit Zanramon in the arm, causing him to fall to the ground. In the back of the platoon, two Triceratons looked at each other nervously.

"You just shot the Prime Leader." one pointed out.

"I am so getting fragged for this." the second one lamented.

"I believe it is time to make our exit!" Fugitoid decided.

"Allonsey! Allonsey!" Mikey yelled in a panic as he, Donnie and Fugitoid made it up the ramp to the cruiser.

"What about our hostage?!" Raph asked still firing at the Triceratons.

"Leave him!" Leo told him. "Let's just go!"

With that, Leo and Raph ran up the ramp to join with the others. Back with Zanramon, some of the Triceratons rushed to his aid.

"Prime Leader, are you alright?" one of the soldiers asked. "Please forgive us."

"Just get me to a medic." Zanramon told him. "Stop those terrapins, and find the incompetent louse who shot me and execute him!"

The Triceraton who shot Zanramon quickly got wide eyed at this. He slowly put his gun on the floor and started discreetly backing away, hoping no one would notice his exit.

…

Back with the turtles and the Fugitoid, they all piled into the bridge of the ship. To say they were impressed would be an understatement.

"Sweet." Mikey let out.

"Not bad." Raph admitted.

"I can't believe it." Donnie marveled. "We're actually going to take off in an alien spaceship!"

"Just like Space Heroes!" Leo exclaimed.

"Oh, 'now' he starts geeking out." Raph noted.

Seeing what looked like a captain's chair, Leo wasted no time leaping into it and assuming a position resembling his boyhood hero, Captain Ryan.

"Mr. Fugitoid, take us out!" he instructed in an over the top fashion. "Ludicrous speed."

"As you wish." Fugitoid replied, assuming control of the ship. "Fitting that my robot body has a pilot function."

"Yeah, all you're missing is a droid sidekick." Mikey joked.

"I am surrounded by nerds." Raph lamented face palming.

With a bit of work, Fugitoid was able to activate the engines, and the ship rocketed out of the hanger bay and out into space. Almost immediately, they were set upon by several fighters.

"Well no one said this was gonna be easy." Donnie commented, seeing the fighters appear on the ship's radar.

"This tubs gotta have weapons of some kind, right?" Raph asked.

"Activating them now." The Professor answered, hitting a few buttons.

A pair of controls began beeping, displaying holographic screens of the surrounding area. Mikey and Raph immediately took the controls. Two ships pulled alongside the cruiser, hoping to box the turtles in. Raph jammed his fingers on the fire button, reducing one ship to little more than space debris. Mikey did the same to his, cheering somewhat as he did.

"Too easy!" He declared.

"Don't get cocky, Mikey." Raph warned. "There's plenty more where those came from."

"Right." Mikey replied before realizing his brother's words. "Say, did you-"

"We are not going there Mikey!" Raph told him. "We're not!"

"Ok, ok." Mikey replied. "Geez, get shot at by an alien race and everyone loses their senses of humor."

Raph and Mikey continued shooting at the coming fighters. While they were doing so, Fugitoid was doing some rather fancy maneuvers, hoping to lose their bulkier pursuers. Unfortunately, in the vastness of space, there was very little that he could use as cover to avoid them.

Until the asteroid warning began flashing. They all looked up to see a cluster of asteroids waiting for them.

"That's not good." Donnie pointed out.

"Think you can maneuver through there, Professor?" Leo asked.

"Well I'm willing to try." Fugitoid replied, gripping the controls.

"Raph, Mikey, if you have seatbelts put them on!" Leo ordered. "Things are about to get crazy."

With that, Fugitoid went into the asteroid belt. He went up, down, left, right, and every other direction you could think up to keep himself and the turtles from getting smashed. The Triceraton fighters that dared to go in after them tried the same thing, to varying degrees of success. Quite a few were met with a fiery death at the hands of a stray asteroid, though a handful of lucky souls managed to continue their pursuit.

"Raph, see if you can get a bead on those guys." Leo commanded. "Get them off our tail!"

"You got it!" Raph replied.

Raph then aimed his gun at the pursing fighters when an asteroid came up beside them. Getting an idea, Raph shifted the aim towards the asteroid itself and blasted it to pieces. Those pieces flew out and punctured the hulls of the fighters pursuing them, causing them to fly out of control and crash into each other. Raph just grinned at his accomplishment.

"Woo!" He let out. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

After a bit more flying, the ship finally made to towards a clearing.

"Looks like we're coming out of the asteroid belt." Donnie observed.

"Hopefully the worst of it all is behind us." Fugitoid hoped.

As if to prove him wrong, a stray blast of laser fire succeeded in clipping the wing of the ship. The ship started to rumble and shake as they slowly descended.

"Then again I have been known to be wrong." Fugitoid admitted.

"Everyone brace yourselves!" Leo cried out.

Everyone grabbed on to the sturdiest thing they could find as the ship. The Fugitoid steered the ship as best he could, locking onto a large asteroid easily big enough to land on. He activated the landing gear, bringing the ship down for a very rough landing. The impact caused the turtles to lurch forward and Donnie to collide with the windshield.

"...ow." he let out before pulling his face off.

"Well that went well." Raph remarked picking himself up off the floor.

Leo groaned, rubbing his head.

"Professor, can you get this bird back in the air?" he questioned.

"I'm afraid not." he replied. "That blast severed the left wing, and the crash has no doubt done extensive damage to the engine."

"Then I guess you're building your portal here, Professor." Leo declared.

"Well it's as good a place as any I suppose." Fugitoid remarked. "Though we will need some room to work."

"What, like outside?" Raph asked. "In the airless vacuum of space?"

"This spacecraft should come equipped with space suits in case of emergencies." The Professor assured him.

"Then let's get those space suits and get to work." Leo declared.

…

Donnie located the space suits quickly, passing them around to his four brothers. After putting them on, they came to realize they were a bit big on them, and the long section designed from a Triceraton's tail seemed to drag behind them and weigh them down.

"I'm guessing these are for a size large." Leo noted.

"Actually they're 'one size fits all', as the saying goes." Fugitoid explained. "These suits contain specialized servos woven into the fibers that allow it to adapt to any number of alien anatomies at the push of a button."

After looking on his suit for a bit, Donnie found a button on his right arm and pressed it. Instantly, the suit shrunk to fit his figure, and the tail seem to retract into the suit.

"Nice." Donnie complimented.

Leo and Raph saw this and pressed the same buttons on their suits, yielding the same results. When Mikey tried it however, nothing seemed to be happening. He kept pressing the button over and over, even hitting it with his fist, but still nothing happened.

"Hey, I think mine's broken!" Mikey complained.

"I see." Fugitoid observed. "Well you'll just have to make do then."

"What?" Mikey let out. "Can't you fix it or something?"

"We don't have time Michelangelo." Fugitoid told him. "If won't be long before the Triceratons descend upon this asteroid, and when they do, you will want to be long gone."

"Oh come on." Mikey complained. "Can't one of you guys trade with me?"

"Would you just go?" Raph told him, pushing him forward.

"Take whatever you need, but leave communications intact." Leo instructed. "I'll see if I can contact Mozar and stall for time."

Donnie and Fugitoid nodded as they got to work.

…

Attempting to construct an alien teleportal device was tricky enough, but doing so in a zero-gravity environment was interesting to say the least. Donnie had Mikey constantly making sure parts and tools didn't end up floating away into the vastness of space, and the Fugitoid had to embed the device into the stone of the large asteroid to keep it somewhat stable.

Due to these unnatural conditions, construction was a slow and difficult process, much to the annoyance of a certain red turtle as he was welding off part of a wing.

"How much longer is this gonna take?!" Raph asked. "It's a wonder those dino-bums haven't stormed us yet."

"Constructing a large scale teleport machine would be hard enough under normal circumstances Raph." Donnie explained. "Combining that with the zero gravity at work here is only adding to our problems."

"I'm just glad the parts of the ship have been compatible to my needs so far." Fugitoid shared.

"You don't think that's too contrived do you?" Mikey asked.

"Mikey, do not question the Deus Ex Machinas." Donnie chastised. "You'll jinx us."

…

Back on the ship, Leo was working to get in contact with Mozar. Finally, his communication got through.

"Ah, Commander Mozar." Leo greeted. "I am Leonardo of the planet Earth."

 _"I remember you terrapin."_ Mozar responded. _"Surrender the Fugitoid to us now, and the Triceraton Republic might show you mercy."_

"Um, of course…" Leo replied. "My compatriots and I would be more than happy to. With certain conditions of course."

 _"What kind of conditions?"_ Mozar asked with a raised eyebrow.

"First, we will need transportation to our home planet." Leo listed off. "Second, we will need assurances that the teleportal will not be used for military purposes. Third, we will also need assurances that Zanramon will not be attempting to pursue any vendetta against us for our actions in the Tri-sports arena onward."

 _"You must be out of your mind!"_ Mozar exclaimed.

"No, you're confusing me with my brother Michelangelo." Leo retorted. "I'm being completely honest and sane, and frankly, even if I wasn't you don't have much of a choice now, do you?"

 _"What's that supposed to mean?"_ Mozar asked.

"The Professor's your only chance of getting the plans for the teleportal." Leo explained, leaning forward as he did. "If something were to happen to him, some that, hypothetically speaking of course, wiped his memory core, all plans would be lost. Then, you'd have to explain to Zanramon why you didn't take me up on my offer."

 _"You're bluffing."_ Mozar accused. _"I've seen you and your allies in action. You don't have the guts to destroy Honeycutt."_

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." Leo allowed. "But do you really want to take that chance?"

 _"I guess we'll just have to see who bluffs better."_ Mozar challenged.

"I don't hear you trying to cut me a deal." Leo countered.

 _"There will be no more negotiations."_ Mozar declared. _"Either surrender the Fugitoid now or face annihilation. Your call."_

Leo faltered for a second, then steeled himself, thinking about what Captain Ryan would do in his situation.

"No Mozar, it's yours." Leo said firmly. "You meet our demands, or I have the Fugitoid's processor fried into a crisp."

With that, Leo ended the transmission, sagging in his seat as he let out a long breath. After taking a second to compose himself, he made sure his suit was on properly before heading outside to check on the others' progress.

"We're running out of time guys!" Leo called out as he made it outside. "Please tell me you're almost done!"

"We're having to recalibrate the entire system for zero-gravity, and even with Honeycutt's robotic brain, the calculations are taking longer than expected." Donnie explained.

"Well you might want to speed things up a bit." Leo told him. "Mozar wasn't too fond of my demands and I'm pretty sure he'll have troops here any second!"

"That's a fair assumption." Mikey commented, pointing up.

The others looked up to see a group of fighters approaching the asteroid. All four turtles felt their hearts leap up into their throats as the fighters came in far greater numbers than before.

"Donnie…!" Leo let out, turning to his brother with a face of abject terror.

"Right, work faster." Donnie responded. "On it!"

Donnie and the Fugitoid began doubling their efforts. They began a swift motion of screwing and welding things into place, as well as programming in the right algorithms and codes. As they did this, an entire legion of Triceraton Ships began landing on the large asteroid, slowly boxing the five fugitives in.

"You wanna hurry up?!" Raph asked, arming his blaster.

"We're working AS FAST AS WE CAN!" Donnie yelled.

"Just a few more moments." Fugitoid reassured.

"Those are moments we don't have!" Mikey squealed.

Fugitoid continued making frantic keystrokes as the Triceratons exited their fighters. Finally, the device started powering up, much to Fugitoid and the turtle's delight."

"Eureka!" The Fugitoid cried. "Everyone inside the Teleportal immediately!"

The turtles wasted no time piling into the teleportal capsule. Light started shining all around them, signifying that it was working. The turtles braced themselves as they were about to get home at last.

Then, just as quickly as the lights began shining, they died, a high pitched whine slowly softening to a low tone, signifying the failure to fully power up.

"Uh… maybe we got sent to another asteroid surrounded by Triceratons?" Mikey suggested.

"I don't think so Mikey." Leo told him.

"I… I don't understand." Fugitoid let out. "How could it not work? All my calculations were spot on."

"Well, we did have to compensate for the unique environment." Donnie noted. "The calculations may not have been ready to handle such a problem."

"Doesn't really seem like we have time to figure it out." Raph commented as the Triceratons started opening fire on the capsule.

"Indeed not." The Fugitoid agreed, turning to Leonardo. "Do it."

"Professor-" Leo began to protest.

"There's no time to argue." Fugitoid interrupted. "If you don't destroy me now, this will fall into the hands of maniacs who will not hesitate to use it for their own diabolical purposes. You swore on your honor."

Leo sighed in resentment, knowing that the Fugitoid is right.

"Professor," Leo spoke pulling out a sword. "I-"

Just then, a large blue light surrounded him, his brothers, the Fugitoid, and a handful of Triceratons.

"What the shell?" Mikey let out.

"I don't understand." Fugitoid said, feeling very confused. "My teleportal didn't work."

"Well someone's did." Raph told him as his body started falling apart piece by piece.

"Aw man, not this again." Mikey lamented, recognizing what was happening to all of them.

"Let's just hope the next place we end up is better than the last one." Donnie spoke before his face came apart.

As the turtles, Fugitoid, and Triceratons broke down into pieces. Those pieces were then gathered up in a bright beam of blue light, shooting up into space and destroying the Professor's nonfunctioning Teleportal as it vanished.

...

 **Wow! I have been on a roll with these chapters lately! Sorry this one's a little shorter than usual, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. Hope you all stay tuned for more.**


	39. Secret Origins

_It's the Mickster, checking in. Things have been completely nutzoid for weeks now. If I thought losing sensei and almost losing Leo was bad, the Kraang invaded the city and completely took over. At some good came out of it, mostly finding out Sensei was still alive. We went to save him, but ended up getting blasted halfway across the cosmos. It happens._

 _One harrowing space venture later, my bros and I are trapped in a cobbled together teleportal, trying to get home. Of course, turtle luck kicked in and not only did the portal not work, but these big ugly dinosaurs called Triceratons were closing in, determined to shellac our shells. Just as we were about to head to that big pizzeria in the sky, a different teleportal signal intercepted us, dragging us off to who knows where. Wherever we end up, I just hope the natives are friendly._

...

Mortu stood at the controls of the TCRI transmat device, typing away frantically as he kept an eye on the various reading. The mat itself was sparking and glowing as it reeled in its quarry.

"Come on..." Mortu muttered, his teeth grinding. "Come on..."

On the mat, several figures began to form piece by piece, building into the turtles, the Fugitoid, as well at least six Triceratons. Finally, the occupants fully reassembled and the light around them died out.

"We're back?" Mikey asked looking around. "We're back! Oh sweet Terra Firma!"

Mikey immediately dropped to the ground and started kissing the ground.

"Aw man, this place again?" Raph lamented.

"Turtles, please step off of the Transmat." Mortu insisted, coming out from behind the controls while keeping his hands up in a pacifying gesture. "I do not want to fix another unexpected journey."

"It's the Fugitoid!" A Triceraton exclaimed. "Seize it!"

"Oh dear." Fugitoid let out.

"Fire!" another Triceraton ordered.

Leo grabbed the Professor, dragging him to the ground seconds before a laser blast would have hit him in the head. Realizing the situation was escalating out of control quickly, Mortu let out a whistle.

"Guardians!" he called out. "Detain the Triceratons!"

The Guardians then moved out and used their swords to deflect the Triceraton blaster shots. One familiar Guardian approached Leo and the Professor, offering them some cover.

"Take your robotic friend and get back, quickly." He insisted, jerking his sword in order to prevent a laser blast from tagging Leo.

"When this is over, I want answers as to whose side you're really on." Leo told him as he took the Fugitoid for cover.

Mikey meanwhile was dancing around several blaster shots as well.

"A welcome home party. You shouldn't have." he joked.

Just then, a random blaster beam shot off the tail of his suit. Mikey picked it up in panicked surprise.

"No I mean it, you shouldn't have!" he insisted.

Just then, he felt a large shadow looming over him. He looked up to see a Triceraton standing over him, aiming his blaster at him. Mikey thought it was the end, closing his eyes and flinching. However, before the blast could take him out, something large, green, and reptilian plowed into the Triceraton, knocking him to the ground.

"Nobody!" the creature exclaimed, lifting the Triceraton overhead. "Hurts my friends!"

The other turtles turned in the direction of the yelling. They couldn't believe their eyes.

"No…" Leo spoke.

"Freakin…" Raph continued.

"Way." Donnie concluded.

"LEATHERHEAD!" Mikey exclaimed.

Leatherhead threw the Triceraton across the room in a fit of pure rage. He then used his tail to knock back another approaching Triceraton before backhanding a third.

"Mortu!" Leatherhead called out. "The stasis beam! Hurry!"

Mortu nodded before pulling out a specialized gun from his coat and firing it at one of the Triceratons, causing him to freeze where he stood. He continued this process multiple times until all the Triceratons were frozen solid. Mortu then put the weapon away before walking over to Leatherhead.

"Are you alright my friend?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Fine." Leatherhead reassured. "I have been through far worse than these creatures.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey let out, running over and giving the mutant croc a hug.

"Hehe, it is good to see you again Michelangelo." Leatherhead told him. "All of you."

"LH, I can't believe you're here." Raph told him.

"The last time we saw you, you entered a portal to Dimension X, carrying off that rock monster." Donnie recalled. "How are you here?"

"Rest assured my friends, all your questions will be answered." Leatherhead told them in a more refined manner that he did not possess before. "But first I believe it would be wise to return these ill placed individuals to their home of origin."

"Great idea LH." Raph declared. "I am sick of Triceratons."

...

It didn't take long for the turtles, Leatherhead, and the guardians to get the immobilized Triceratons loaded onto the transmat. After a few quick keystrokes from Leatherhead, the transmat activated again, sending the Triceratons blasting back to whence they came.

"That's one complication promptly dispensed with." Leatherhead noted.

"Ok, what's with the increased IQ, Leatherhead?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, last time it seemed physically painful for you to make pronouns." Raph told him. "Now you're sounding like a scalier version of Donatello here."

"I have Mortu and his kind to thank for my increased intelligence." Leatherhead explained. "That, and so much more."

"You're pals with the-" Mikey caught himself. "The aang-kray?"

Leatherhead chuckled, patting Mikey on the shoulder.

"I too believed them to be Kraang when I first encountered them." He told the orange turtle. "But that is not the case."

"Kraang that aren't Kraang?" Raph asked.

"They are called Utroms." Leatherhead explained. "And their story is not only intertwined with the Kraang, but ours as well. The Mutagen that transformed us all, began its humble beginnings as a power source for a transmat device very similar to this one."

"So, the ooze is space gasoline?" Mikey asked raising an eyebrow.

"Considering its mutagenic properties it would theoretically make sense for the ooze to break down subjects at the subatomic level and reassemble them at a predetermined location." Donnie surmised.

"Riiiiiiight." Raph replied. "And these 'Utroms' saved you from Dimension X?"

"In a manner of speaking." Leatherhead answered. "After my fight with the creature I was a drift for who knows how long in that infernal place. When I woke, I was in the care of these creatures. As you can imagine, I was a touch hostile at first, but once they got the chance to explain themselves, I came to realize that these benevolent beings were a far cry from their cruel counterparts. They brought me back to health and helped expand my mind in ways I never thought possible. I owe them my life."

"Well, I guess if you vouch for them Leatherhead." Leo replied before turning to the Guardian. "Sorry for misjudging you before."

"I understand your reasoning." The Guardian assured him. "And I have not given you much reason to trust me as of late."

"But perhaps this will." Mortu offered. "There is someone here anxious to see you."

"No offense, but I think we've had our fill of-" Leo started to say.

The next sight before them killed any other words that Leo had in mind. Behind a duo of guardians coming out of a doorway emerged someone the turtles hadn't seen for months and were beginning to wonder if they were ever gonna see again: Master Splinter.

"My sons." he greeted with a proud smile on his face.

The turtles just stood there speechless in awe of seeing their father again.

"FATHER!" they all exclaimed running forward.

Their combined hugging of their father caused them to fall to the ground. They didn't seem to mind though, as they continued to embrace Splinter. Happy tears were rolling down all four of the turtles' faces, and even Master Splinter was overcome with powerful emotions.

"Oh, my sons." he let out, trying to hold are four of them at once. "It is so good to finally hold you in my arms once again."

"We know how you feel." Raph shared.

"We were so worried about you." Leo told him. "We thought that Shredder…"

"He came quite close." Splinter told him. "After you four went to deal with the Kraang ship, the Foot invaded the lair. I fought them off as best I could until I confronted the Shredder and he cast me into that drain pipe. I would have perished from my wounds had I not been saved by these creatures."

"You saved his life?" Leo asked, turning to the Utroms and Guardians. "Thank you."

"It is a debt we have been trying to repay for over 15 years." Mortu replied. "I am just grateful we were able to find him in time."

Mikey then reached into his suit and pulled out Splinter's walking stick.

"I've been saving this for you Sensei." Mikey said handing the stick to him.

Splinter smiled as he took the stick in hand.

"Thank you Michelangelo." Splinter replied before looking up and seeing Fugitoid. "And who is your robot friend here? One of Donatello's creations."

"No actually." Leo answered. "This is Professor Zayton Honeycutt."

"AKA the Fugitoid." Mikey added. "Cool name right? My idea."

"Actually it's the official D'Hoonibian terminology." Donnie corrected.

"Actually it's the official D'Hoonibian terminology." Mikey repeated in a mocking tone, earning him a smack from Donnie.

"He tried to help us get home." Raph explained. "Even if his promise fell short, we owe him a lot."

"It was the least I could do after they rescued me from the Federation and Triceraton forces." Fugitoid shared.

Splinter couldn't help but sigh, a smile gracing his snout.

"It would seem that you four still manage have a penchant for raising Cain wherever you go." Splinter remarked. "Even in the mere eight hours you've been gone."

That through the four turtles for a loop.

"EIGHT HOURS?!" they exclaimed in unison.

"We were gone three weeks!" Raph told them.

"Time distortion due to the sudden transition from one end of the galaxy to the other." Mortu explained as if it was common knowledge.

"I guess that explains it." Donnie admitted.

"Or it would, if it made any sense at all!" Mikey added.

"Calm yourself, Michelangelo." Splinter told him. "We have more important matters to address."

"Yeah, like what you meant by a 15 year old debt." Leo remembered, turning to Mortu. "Care to explain what that's about?"

"Also why you look like the aliens that have been trying to take over the world for months now." Donnie added.

"Um, Don, you forget that they technically succeeded." Mikey reminded him.

"They just have the city Mikey." Donnie corrected.

"Oh… right."

"What we're trying to say is Mr. Mortu," Leo continued. "After everything we've been through, don't you think we're entitled to some answers?"

"You are right Leonardo." Mortu confirmed. "Let there be no more secrets between us."

Mortu then opened up his jacket and shirt, revealing the Utrom resting in his torso.

"Come with me." he instructed.

He turned and walked out, Leatherhead and the Guardian following not far behind. The turtles exchanged glances, then they and Master Splinter followed them deeper into the facility.

...

Ditching the space suits in a waste chute along the way, the turtles then entered a large room lined with some kind of blue orbs along the walls. Above them were a set of metal claws and what looked like a high tech projector.

"Welcome to the Oracle Chamber." Mortu introduced. "Here is the collective sum of Utrom history."

"Cool." Donnie complimented.

After pressing a few keys on a console, one of the metal claws came down, and grabbed one of the orbs off a shelf. The claw then placed the orb in the path of the projector, which shot out a beam of light at it. Just then, the orb started glowing, and light beams shot out from it, coating the entire room. All across the room, an almost life like image began to form around them, as if they were watching history play out before them.

"What is this place?" Raph asked as an alien landscape constructed itself bit by bit.

"The Utrom home world." Mortu explained. "This is where both Kraang and Utrom originated. Because at one point, the Kraang were Utrom."

"Get out of town." Mikey replied.

"We were once a proud and peaceful race." Mortu continued. "Each of us, in our own special way, thinking up new scientific advances to make the universe a better place."

"Sounds like your kind of people Professor." Raph remarked.

"Indeed." Fugitoid agreed.

"What happened?" Leo asked.

"One day, one our top scientists cracked the secrets to interdimensional travel." Mortu explained as a lab with a lone Utrom working on a portal appeared around them. "That scientist was called Krang, who would come to know as Kraang Prime."

"I don't think I like where this is going." Mikey commented.

Just then, the scene shifted again, this time to Dimension X, where Krang and a group of other Utroms were working on a base camp with a supply of Mutagen on standby.

"After some work, and getting the approval of the locals," Mortu resumed. "We began our work in this new world we dubbed, Dimension X."

"So how did our least favorite wad of chewing gum end up the evil megalomaniac we all know and loathe?" Raph questioned.

The hologram showed one Utrom in an exo suit carrying some canisters of mutagen when one slipped out of his hands. It fell to the ground and crashed onto Krang, who was on the ground working on something.

"During their time over there, Krang got doused with mutagen." Mortu shared. "Due to Dimension X's different physical laws, it transformed him. Granting him psychic powers that allowed him to enslave his research team. These poor souls came to be called 'the first Kraang'."

"That's harsh, man." Mikey let out.

"You had to have fought back, right?" Leo questioned.

"Yes, but it was hard at first." Mortu shared. "Like I said, we Utroms were a peaceful race and had no real experience with warfare. Though with the time they spent in Dimension X, the Kraang became masters of it."

The landscape shifted again to show a battle on the Utrom home world between the Kraang and the Utroms, with the Kraang appearing on top.

"More and more of our race was becoming enslaved by Kraang and his forces." Mortu shared. "So to keep him away from our home, myself and a select few Utroms left our world, with Kraang Prime following in close pursuit."

"He have a grudge against you or something?" Mikey asked.

"Something." Mortu answered. "More importantly, I am the leader of the Utroms. If I were to fall,"

"The rest would fall soon after." Donnie surmised. "Makes sense."

"This is why we came here to Earth." Mortu continued. "When we got here, it was still a very primitive world, one we had hoped would go unnoticed by Kraang. We were wrong."

"So it was never just about conquering our world." Leo pieced together. "The Kraang came here to hunt for you."

"Indeed." Mortu confirmed. "We are the only thing standing between the Kraang and galactic domination. We decided to make our stand on this world, but I knew we would need help in the coming battles. That's when I had an idea."

"The guardians." Leo guessed.

The hologram then showed Mortu and some Utroms in feudal Japan, speaking to some ninja.

"When we arrived on this planet, about one thousand years ago, we sought out help from the most capable and honorable warriors we could find." Mortu told them. "They became the Guardians of Earth, and the Utroms."

As Mikey was watching this, a hologram of a ninja doing some kind of sword kata was right next to him. Mikey noticed this and had a fun idea. He took out a nunchaku and started swinging it around at the ninja as if he was fighting him. As the ninja took another swing, Mikey back flipped out of the way.

"Your blade cannot touch the mighty ronin, Michelangelo-san!" Mikey taunted in an over-the-top samurai movie voice. "I am the storming sea. I am the breaking wind. I am-"  
He was cut off by Splinter smacking him on the head with his stick.

"Michelangelo, show some respect." Splinter told him.

Mikey chuckled nervously in response.

"Sorry Sensei." Mikey replied putting his weapon away.

"So the Guardians have existed for centuries?" Leo asked. "Makes you wonder how old the Utroms are."

"Old enough," Mortu answered. "And yes, the duties of the guardians have passed from generation to generation. In fact, there is one guardian you might know, Chung Li."

Splinter raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Me?" Splinter asked. "I cannot imagine anyone I know working for you."

"Oh but there was someone." Mortu told him, pressing a few more buttons. "Someone you know very well."

The scene faded away completely, leaving nothing but the image of one man dressed in blue ninja garb. A man Splinter knew all too well.

"Your old master." Mortu concluded.

Splinter stepped forward in shock to see Hamato Yoshi dressed in the attire of the Guardians.

"Master Yoshi?" Splinter asked. "A Guardian?"

"It was a chance encounter." Mortu explained as the room now resembled a back alleyway in New York. "That crossed our two worlds."

The forms of Hamato Yoshi, as well as a visibly pregnant Tang Shen appeared, the two holding hands and smiling lovingly at one another.

"Your master and his wife were out on an evening walk when they heard something." Mortu recalled.

 _"No, don't!"_ a voice cried out.

Wondering what was happening, Yoshi and Shen ran towards the alley and looked down it, seeing Mortu being confronted by four Kraang Droids in human disguises.

 _"Shen, stay here!"_ Yoshi called out as he ran down the alley.

 _"W-what do you want with me?"_ Mortu asked, hoping to act dumb.

It didn't work as the Kraang aimed their blasters at Mortu.

 _"That which is known as screaming."_ one Kraang droid

Just then, the Kraang droid was kicked aside and into a pile of trash. The remaining three looked to see Hamato Yoshi standing before them.

 _"Four against one does not seem like a fair fight."_ Yoshi observed.

 _"This is a place where you are not allowed to be in this place."_ a Kraang droid told him. _"Now this is a place where you will not be allowed to leave this place."_

The remaining Kraang droids then opened fire on him. Yoshi moved out of the way with remarkable speed. He jumped over one Kraang droid and landed behind it, sweeping its legs and knocking it to the ground. He then dashed towards a second Kraang droid and grabbed it by the arm, throwing it against the wall repeatedly until it fell to the ground. Seeing the third one aiming his gun at him, Yoshi ran towards him and grabbed it. The two struggled for control of it for a bit until Yoshi aimed the gun at his face. The gun went off, sending a few blaster shots into the Kraang's face. It immediately fell to the ground, revealing the metal interior behind the fleshy disguise, much to Yoshi's shock.

 _"What the..."_ Yoshi let out. _"Machines?"_

While he was distracted by this, one of the fallen Kraang droids got up and tried to use the saw on his blaster to attack Shen. She backed away in horror, letting out a scream as she instinctively clutched her swollen belly. Mortu saw this and immediately sprang forward, stepping in front of her as the blade went down. Yoshi turned around to see Shen stumbling back, thankfully unharmed, and Mortu with his arm cut off, revealing the metal arm inside. Yoshi threw one of the blasters at the Kraang and the blade embedded itself in its head, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Suffice to say, Yoshi had a few questions." Mortu remarked. "So we gave him a choice. Leave that night and forever wonder what had transpired, or join us, serve as a guardian, and know the whole truth."

"Master Yoshi was never one to back away from a mystery." Splinter remarked. "Or to turn his back on those who needed help."

"Indeed." Mortu confirmed as the setting changed to Yoshi training alongside the guardians. "Hamato Yoshi became our most trusted guardian. He fought alongside us on our most dangerous missions and saved countless lives during his service. He was one of the few to ever achieve the rank of Guardian Prime."

"Whoa." the turtles let out.

"Splinter always said that Master Yoshi was one of the best martial artists of his time, but this?" Leo let out. "This is beyond anything I could have ever imagined."

"Not even I could have imagined my master capable of such…" Splinter admitted. "Incredible works."

"He was a capable warrior, a trusted ally, and above all, a good friend." Mortu recalled. "It grieved us all when his life was taken at the hands of the Shredder."

Splinter's face fell visibly as the memories of that fateful night resurfaced. Raph turned to Mortu as a couple questions flitted through his mind.

"Yeah, I've got something to ask you about that." he declared, crossing his arms. "You claim he was one of your bests, and yet you guys didn't seem to do a thing to stop Shred-head, or help out our Sensei."

"We searched for Li after we learned of Yoshi's death." Mortu explained. "We couldn't find him anywhere. Until we looked into an accident that happened 15 years ago."

"The accident that made us." Donnie surmised.

"We had recently recovered a shipment of Mutagen that had been stolen by the Kraang and were in the midst of transporting it back to TCRI." Mortu explained. "During transport one of the canisters was lost. When we tracked down its location, we discovered your new, and rather unique, family. Ever since, we have been doing our best to let you live your lives. Then, the Kraang discovered your existence and you began actively engaging with them. We knew we could not stand idly by as the Kraang threatened you, and thus we tasked our Guardian with protecting you."

"That's why the guardians showed up when you did." Leo pieced together.

"Precisely." The Guardian agreed.

"Then where the shell were you when Master Splinter got his tail kicked?" Raph demanded. "Or when Leo was getting creamed by Foot ninja? Or when Shredder burned down April's apartment?!"

"Raphael, calm yourself." Splinter insisted.

"We actually went looking for you after the Technodrome incident." Mortu admitted. "We thought it was finally time to bring you into the fold. By the time we got there though, we were too late. Fortunately, we were able to find Splinter and bring him here to heal him. After that, we went searching for you to let out know we had him in our care. Once again however, we were too late. Ms. O'Neil's home was burned down and we assumed you were destroyed. Thankfully we were wrong."

"Yeah, they can't get rid of us that easily." Mikey taunted.

"A good thing too." Mortu shared. "For we now face our most dire hour."

He shut off the holograms, returning the room to normal.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"As we have found out, the Kraang have forged an alliance with your nemesis, Shredder." Mortu shared.

"The Foot and the Kraang have teamed up?" Mikey asked, shocked. "Now that's just unfair."

"That's why the Kraang invaded the city when they did." Donnie surmised. "They were waiting for the Foot to take us out so they could take over unopposed."

"Despite our best efforts." Mortu lamented. "And in the months they've had control of the city, they have constructed a mutagen missile."

Mortu then activated a screen that showed the missile and its trajectory.

"Their plan is to shoot is at the moon so it will slingshot around its gravity and hit the earth itself." Mortu explained.

"That payload is packing enough mutagen to turn the whole planet into another Dimension X!" Donnie exclaimed.

"And wipe out any who can't breathe its atmosphere." Mortu added.

"The Kraang can breathe it, why can't you guys?" Mikey asked.

"The Kraang have had centuries to adapt to Dimension X's atmosphere, it would overtake us in mere minutes."

"And with you gone," Donnie hypothesized. "They could seize control of this building and the transmat device."

"And take control of the entire Utrom home world." Mortu concluded.

"We gotta stop them!" Leo declared.

"Unfortunately we have another problem." Mortu lamented.

"Of course we do." Raph groaned. "What is it this time?"

"The transmat's energy unleashes a powerful light beam." Mortu explained. "One that can be seen from any vantage point in the city. They know we're here."

"Great!" Mikey let out. "They know you're here, and they think we're dead! Which incidentally we're not!"

Leo suddenly perked up at that statement.

"Wait, Mikey, say that again." he told him.

"I said the Kraang know the Utroms are here-" Mikey began.

"And they think we're dead." Donnie finished, realization dawning.

"Exactly." Leo confirmed. "Which just might be the tactical advantage we've been waiting for.

"Wait," Mikey spoke. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"I think he's thinking what you think he's thinking." Donnie confirmed.

"Well if he's thinking what I'm thinking, then I think we shouldn't just be thinking." Raph replied before turning to the others. "What do you think?"

The others all gave blank expressions in response.

"I'm...afraid I don't follow." Leatherhead admitted.

"Not a clue here either." Fugitoid agreed.

"What we're trying to say is the Foot and the Kraang think we died in the fire at Aprils." Donnie explained.

"And Shredder no doubt believes me deceased after our last encounter." Splinter added.

"Meaning they can expect the armies of the Utroms six ways to Sunday." Leo remarked.

"But they'll never see us coming." Raph concluded.

"Of course!" Mortu exclaimed. "A frontal assault acting as a diversion while you four disarm the missile. Brilliant!"

"And if the Kraang and the Foot have teamed up, there's only one place that missile could be." Leo deduced.

"Shredder's lair." Mikey answered.

"If we're gonna do this, then we're going to need some help." Donnie pointed out.

"Perhaps I can suggest calling in the aid of your two human friends." Mortu interjected. "They are currently hiding behind the building, and I am almost certain they are planning some sort of assault to get you back."

"I'm surprised it took them eight hours to come up with a plan." The Guardian commented offhand.

"I'll give them a call." Donnie declared, already reaching for his shell cell.

...

Outside in the Battle Shell, April and Casey were gearing up to storm TCRI and find their missing friends.

"Glad I found these tonfas amongst the wreckage of the lair." April commented, holding up a pair of weapons vaguely resembling police batons. "You got all you need, Casey?"

"I was born ready." Casey replied, slinging his bag on and flipping down his hockey mask.

"Then let's go save our-"

April's dramatic declaration was interrupted by her phone suddenly blasting a Vanilla Ice song. Casey's phone also began ringing, though his ringtone was more traditional. They both answered immediately.

"Hello?" they asked in unison.

 _"Hey guys."_ Donnie greeted.

"Donnie?" April asked, completely surprised. "Oh my god I can't believe I'm hearing your voice.

"Me neither." Casey added. "When did you get three way calling?"

April lightly elbowed him in the chest in response.

"Hello, alive?" April reminded.

"Oh, right." Casey realized. "Wahoo!"

"Where have you guys been?" April asked.

 _"Long story April."_ Donnie answered. _"Come inside and we'll explain everything."_

"Umm, what do you think we were planning?" Casey asked.

"Yeah, aren't you like neck deep in Kraang territory?"

 _"Not exactly. Come in and we'll show you."_

...

Casey and April were both visibly uncomfortable as they entered TCRI. Casey kept his golf club handy, and April did not relinquish her hold on her tonfas. That is, until they laid eyes on Splinter.

"Master Splinter!" April cried out, her weapons clattering to the ground as she threw her arms around the rat.

"It is good to see you again April." Splinter replied, hugging her back

"Ha! I knew old shred-head couldn't keep you down." Casey declared, sliding his mask up and leaning against his gold club like it was a walking stick.

"Nice to see you as well Mr. Jones." Splinter responded, pulling out of the hug.

"So, why are we suddenly all buddy-buddy with the Kraang?" Casey questioned, gesturing to Mortu with his thumb.

The others looked back to see the Utroms, Leatherhead, and the Fugitoid standing before them.

"Have we got a story for you." all the turtles responded, smiling.

 **...**

 **Wow, two chapters in one night. I am on a roll! This chapter was fun to write, and the Splinter reunion was just beautiful for me. Tune in next time as the turtles storm Foot HQ and try to stop the Kraang and Shredder once and for all!**


	40. Battle for New York Part 1

_Someone once said, "The only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys." Well, if that's true, then I think I just became a man. Or at least an Adult Mutant Ninja Turtle. My name is Raphael, and with all the high tech goodies and advanced weapons, you'd think we'd entered another alien world, but in truth I'm standing in the middle of a decked out playroom belonging to our sworn enemy, Oroku Saki, AKA the Shredder._

 _My bros and I are working our way through Foot Headquarters, fighting our way up every floor, and we ain't stoppin' until we hit the top. Once we do, we're gonna kick Shredder's shell, and save the world from Kraang's twisted scheme. Mikey would compare our adventure to one of his video games, and I have to admit, I see where he gets the idea with all these floors acting as different levels. Only problem is that if we fail, we can't just hit the continue button. If we fail, the entire world pays the price._

 _No pressure or anything._

...

April and Casey listened intently as the turtles explained the history of the Utroms, as well as their connection to Splinter and to Shredder. Needless to say, the two were shocked by the two worst villains known to man teaming up.

"I can't believe it..." April whispered. "Shredder actually teamed up with Kraang?"

"And now the entire planet's gonna be turned into some mutant wasteland?" Casey added.

"If we don't stop them, yes." Leo replied.

"Then we better get to work." April declared.

"Alright then," Leo responded. "If we're gonna pull this off, we're gonna need to know all we can about Foot Headquarters. Donatello?"

"Trying, but I don't think I can get into that system." Donnie replied working at the computer. "Even without the Kraang overlay, the network was designed by Baxter Stockman himself."

"Too bad there isn't someone here who was given a full tour of his layout and system." April commented, giving Donnie a knowing smirk.

"Have at it, milady." Donnie replied, gesturing for her to take a seat.

April did just that, cracking her knuckles before beginning.

"I may need some help with the Kraang overlay though." She admitted. "I'm not well-versed in alien technology."

"Then perhaps I can lend my services." The Fugitoid offered, activating a flash drive in his hand before injecting it into the computer system.

While they were working on that, the others were taking a bit of a reprieve before their next and most likely biggest battle yet.

"Man this is gonna be big." Mikey commented. "I mean, storming Foot HQ? Who knows what's in there?"

"My guess," Raph interjected. "Kraang, Foot Ninjas, traps, lethal security, and a whole lot of trouble."

"Not to mention Karai, Nakumo, and those basket headed freaks that nearly killed me last time." Leo added.

"You encounter the Foot's Elite Guard?" Splinter asked. "They are the deadliest of the Shredder's warriors."

"Don't we know it?" Raph replied. "The three of us barely stood a chance last time."

"Same here." Leo agreed. "I don't know if I can take them again."

"This time, you won't be alone bro." Mikey reassured. "We got your back."

"Turtles forever, right Leo?" Donnie asked in a light tone.

Leo smiled in response.

"Turtles forever." he replied.

Splinter was more than happy to see the comradery of his sons again, but this also brought something to mind. Something extremely urgent. He approached Leonardo, placing a paw on his shell.

"Leonardo, may I speak with you a moment?" he requested.

"Uh… yeah, sure Sensei." Leo replied.

The two then walked off towards a secluded part of the room for a little privacy. The Utroms in the general vicinity took their leave, giving the two mutants some solitude.

"Is everything alright Master Splinter?" Leo asked.

"That is a… difficult question to answer." Splinter admitted. "You recall that my master Yoshi had a child before Shredder… before."

"Yeah." Leo answered. "I don't think you ever said what happened to it though."

"I had thought that she had been slain alongside her parents…" Splinter told him.

"Thought?" Leo repeated. "Are you saying that child is alive?"

"It is much more than that." Splinter replied. "That child… is Karai."

Leo felt as if the world had suddenly been frozen. For a good second, everything around him seemed to vanish, every sound, every idle distraction in the background. He stood there, completely dumbfounded as the revelation sunk in.

"Karai…?" he said after the world began moving again. "She's… Hamato Yoshi's daughter?"

"When we fought Shredder and his forces on the Technodrome, you cut Karai's shoulder, revealing a flower shaped birthmark." Splinter resumed. "The last time I saw a mark like that, was on the shoulder of my old master. So when Shredder and I clashed again in the sewers, I asked him about it."

…

 _The battle between Splinter and Shredder continued sprawling through the sewers. Shredder tried striking Splinter multiple times, but missed every time. Shredder then tried sweeping Splinter's legs, but Splinter just leapt out of the way, landing across from him._

 _"Tell me Saki, you claim that your mission is to destroy all that my Master Yoshi stood for, and yet you spared his daughter from that fate. Why?!"_

 _"Now what could you possibly mean by that?" Shredder asked mockingly._

 _"I saw the mark Saki." Splinter told him. "The mark of the Hamato line. A mark that laid on the girl you insist on calling daughter!"_

 _Shredder chuckled a bit in response._

 _"I suppose my little secret is out then." he remarked._

 _"So it is true," Splinter pieced together. "How deep does your evil run Saki? Was it not enough that you took Yoshi's life, you insist on spiting him in death!"_

 _"It is no less than he deserves!" Shredder yelled back. "It wasn't enough that he killed my brother, but he left him with the knowledge that Tang Shen, the woman he loved, would always belong to his greatest enemy. So imagine how sweet it was to send Yoshi to his grave with the knowledge that his own daughter would go through her life cursing his name."_

 _Splinter was appalled by what he had heard._

 _"This deception will not last." Splinter insisted. "The truth will be revealed."_

 _"Not if the truth dies with you." Shredder taunted._

 _With that, Splinter and Shredder clashed again, continuing their epic battle._

…

"Whoa..." Leo let out. "I can't believe-... No, actually I can believe it. That sounds like something that the Shredder would do."

"Indeed." Shredder lamented. "Now the last member of the Hamato line has been brought up to curse her own family, and trained as a deadly Foot assassin."

"We have to save her." Leo insisted. "She has to be told the truth."

"That is a task I am entrusting to you." Splinter told him.

Leo blinked, pointing at himself.

"Me?" He asked. "Sensei, why me? Karai seems to want me dead the most."

"Yet she was unwilling to harm you during your capture that night." Splinter reminded.

"Well… I guess so, but she did try to drown me and the guys at the dock."

"But later that same night, she spared Angel's life."

"She tried to kill us again when we recovered the Sword of Tengu."

"And then she destroyed the cannon it powered when we saw its destructive power."

Leo was silent for a bit as he took that all in.

"There is good in her, I know it." Splinter insisted. "The truth must be revealed, and it too will change the world."

"WE'RE IN!" April shouted, throwing her hands in the air.

"You got inside the system?" Leo asked as he and Splinter reentered the room.

"And it was no easy feat either." Fugitoid replied.

"We had to bypass seventeen different firewalls just to access the main server." April began.

"Not to mention the dictionary attack algorithm we made to crack the encryption." Fugitoid added.

"After that it was just a matter of creating a dummy account and installing a remote access Trojan horse." Donnie concluded.

The three high-fived, or high-threed in the case of Donnie and the Fugitoid as the others watched on.

"Thrilling." Mikey replied sarcastically.

"So you know where that Mutagen missile is?" Leo asked.

"According to these schematics, the missile's under an outer courtyard on the roof," Donnie reported. "Just outside Shredder's throne room."

"Makes sense." Raph grumbled. "He'd want to watch the fireworks."

"Unfortunately, the adjacent buildings are too far away for your grapple guns to work. More than that, with the sheer glass surfaces of the walls, your climbing claws are useless as well." April explained.

"Can't we use the transmat to beam inside?" Mikey asked.

"I'm afraid not." Mortu reported. "We depleted the last of our supply of mutagen transporting the Triceratons back to whence they came."

"Then I guess we're doing this the old fashioned way." Raph remarked.

"The Utrom forces and the Guardians are ready to move out." Mortu reported. "We will provide you all the cover you need."

"I will join them." Leatherhead volunteered. "I have a few unresolved issues with the Kraang."

"Of course." Mortu responded.

"Fugitoid and I will monitor the computer systems from here." April volunteered.

"Great." Leo replied. "Casey, you stay here to help the other Utroms guard the place when the Kraang come knocking."

"No problem here." Casey agreed. "I've been looking forward to bashing some real Kraang."

"Great." Leo said, turning to his brothers. "The rest of us are gonna be a four turtle wrecking crew."

The turtles all put their hands in, only for Splinter's to join in as well.

"Five." he added. "I have spent far too long away from you boys."

"Be great to have you out there Sensei." Mikey told him.

"Let's roll." Raph remarked, pounding his fist.

…

At Foot Headquarters, Nakumo and Karai were sparring in the tower's dojo, trying to work off some excess energy after weeks of isolation from the rest of the city. Karai's movements were swift, and heated. This gave Nakumo a bit of a challenge to keep up with. Karai swung her blade high, but he was able to duck under it. She went in low, but Nakumo blocked the strike with his own blade. He shoved off and quickly spun around to try and strike her, but she was able to block the attack. Karai quickly shoved him off before running towards him and kicking him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Before he could get up, he had Karai's foot on his chest and her blade in his face.

"You're slipping Nakumo." she told him, maintaining her hold over him. "I've never bested you this easily before."

"Indeed." Shredder agreed, walking into the room. "Your mind seems elsewhere as of late. Why is that?"

Karai let him up, stowing her blade and getting herself some water.

"Forgive me master," Nakumo apologized as he got to his feet. "I've just been at odds a bit concerning our current situation."

"Oh boy, here we go." Karai let out, sipping from her water bottle.

"In what manner?" Shredder asked.

Nakumo let out a breath before responding.

"Your enemies are all vanquished master, but what is left for us now?" Nakumo asked. "Do we just sit back and let the lowly aliens mutate our planet? Destroy everything we have worked for?!"

"Called it!" Karai interjected as Shredder closed in on Nakumo.

"Watch your tone with me, Nakumo!" Shredder threatened, aiming a claw at his face. "I am well aware of these creatures' plans. When the time is right, we will destroy their weapon, eliminate these pests, and the city will belong to me. It will then serve as a staging ground from which I will conquer this world."

"I...see." Nakumo observed. "Forgive me Master."

"You would be wise not to question my intentions Nakumo." Shredder told him. "Ever again."

"Yeah Nakumo, not the best move you could have pulled." Karai added, tossing the now empty water bottle aside.

Just then, a loud explosion rang out throughout the building. In that instant, Karai had her blade back out and Nakumo was armed once again.

"What was that?" Karai questioned.

"Find out what's going on." Shredder ordered.

The two bowed and went out to work.

…

Down in the entrance, the Utroms had blown a hole in the main entryway, allowing access for their forces and allies. It wasn't long however before Kraang and Foot forces made their way towards them.

"Here they come!" Mortu shouted. "For the Utroms!"

The Kraang immediately opened fire on them, causing the Utroms and the guardians to take cover. The Utroms opened fire with their blasters, taking a few Kraang droids out. The guardians moved forward, slicing through many more droids with relative ease. When the Foot Ninja moved in, they clashed blades with them. Both sides seemed evenly matched, then a familiar roar echoed through the room. The Kraang and Foot forces looked to see Leatherhead plowing through and charging towards them.

"KRAANG!" he roared.

"Oh Kraang." a lone Kraang droid let out.

Leatherhead wasted no time charging at the Kraang and tearing them apart one by one. He even grabbed one by the jaws and hurdled him into a group of Kraang just coming out.

"The plan appears to be working." the guardian commented.

"Indeed." Mortu agreed. "Let's just hope the turtles are just as successful."

…

Down below in the sewers below the building, Donnie was using a small laser drill to cut through the floor, providing his family with access into the building.

"Remind me to thank Mortu for the drill." he said aloud as he finished creating their impromptu entrance.

"Noted." Leo told him.

"Alright April we're in." Donnie called. "Guide us to the communications room."

 _"Already on it."_ April replied, the sound of typing in the background. _"Take a left once you get inside. Third door on the left."_

"Roger that." Don replied.

The turtles and Splinter followed April's instructions to the letter. Finally they arrived at a metal door with some kind of high tech lock on it.

"I think we found it." Leo observed. "Question is, how do we get inside?"

"Fortunately, I have an app for that." Donnie answered, pulling out his shell cell and hooking it up to the lock.

"What do you know?" Raph remarked. "I have an app for that too."

Without further ado, Rap brought up his foot, kicking the door with all his strength, snapping it in half.

"Noisy, but effective." Mikey commented.

The turtles pushed the door down, leaving the entrance wide open. They entered to see several Foot Ninja standing before them, armed with a wide variety of ninja weapons.

"Now that's a lot of ninjas." Mikey remarked.

The turtles wasted no time engaging their enemies. Leo rolled out of the way of one ninja's sword strike just to bring his sword up and block him from behind. He quickly shoved him off as a second ninja came to engage him blade to blade as well. He fended both of them off for a bit until leaping into the air and split kicking both of them.

Raph kept dodging the strikes of a foot ninja wielding Kama. He finally caught the weapons in his sai and locked with the ninja for a bit. He finally snapped the weapons with his sai before punching him in the face. Sensing another ninja behind him, he moved his head to the right, dodging a strike from his staff. As the ninja tried striking him again, Raph caught the staff with his sai and flipped him over his shoulder and onto the ground.

Mikey was surrounded by three ninja wielding kusarigama. Each of them tried throwing their chains at Mikey, but he was able to deflect every attack.

"Your kusarigama skills are weak!" Mikey taunted, extending his chain. "Let me show you how it's done!"

He threw his chain out, wrapping it around one of the ninjas, and pulled him in close. Mikey then leapt into the air and kicked the ninja to the ground. Mikey grabbed the chain of another ninja and pulled him in close, kicking him in the face as he did so. Unbeknownst to him, the third ninja wrapped his chain around Mikey's leg. The ninja then pulled on it trying to bring him in close, forcing Mikey on one leg.

"So you want to get close huh?" Mikey asked. "Fine!"

Mikey then leapt into the air and landed on top of the ninja, taking him out.

"Close enough for you?" he asked.

Donnie meanwhile was bashing every ninja that came close as he made his way towards one of the consoles. As one ninja came close, Donnie rammed his staff into his stomach and vaulted him over head, sending him flying to the ground. Finally, Donnie reached a terminal. He put his staff away as he took a seat and began his work.

"April, I'm hooking up." he reported. "Prepare to receive remote network link."

 _"Ready when you are, Don."_ April chimed in.

Just then, a ninja was thrown into the console next to him. Fortunately, nothing important was damaged but Donnie was a bit irritated when he saw Mikey land on the console.

"Ya mind?" Donnie asked. "I'm trying to work here."

"Sorry D." Mikey apologized. "I'll try to bash Foot goons away from your stuff."

"That be nice." Donnie replied.

Splinter meanwhile was dueling a sword wielding ninja with his staff. As the two locked weapons, Splinter used his free hand to strike the ninja in the face taking him out. He was able to sense three more ninja leaping into the air behind him, ready to strike, and swung his staff out at them, taking them all out easily. He then struck another oncoming ninja in the stomach before bringing his stick down on his head taking him out, swept the legs out from another ninja, and knocked the last one into the air, jump up towards him, and deliver a series of blows to his chest before launching him across the room and into a wall, where he slumped down to the ground. The turtles just watched this in awe.

"Whoa…" they all let out.

"I forgot how kick butt Master Splinter could be." Mikey admitted.

"I was worried I had grown rusty after being bedridden for so long." Splinter confessed, rejoining his sons. "It appears I was wrong."

"So it seems." Leo agreed.

 _"Alright Donnie, we're in."_ April told him. _"Jamming internal communications… now."_

 _"Same on the Kraang end of things."_ Fugitoid added. _"Though this might take a bit longer"_

"It'll be fine." Donnie replied. "Can you find us a way out of here?"

 _"Already on it."_ she informed him. _"In fact, I just found your favorite method of entry. Air vent at 2 o'clock."_

The turtles looked in the designated direction and saw the vent April was talking about. Raph went over and pried off the vent cover with his sai.

"Shall we?" Raph asked.

Leo led the way, crawling into the vent and making his way up. The others followed suit. By the time all of them made it inside, some Kraang droids came in to investigate the disturbance, only to find the place littered with unconscious Foot Ninja. The Kraang walked over to one of the Foot ninja perched against the wall.

"What were the ones that did the damage that is the damage one to the ones called the Foot?" one Kraang droid asked.

"T-t...tur….tles…." a semi-conscious foot ninja let out before passing out all together

The Kraang droids looked at each other in confusion.

"Impossible. The ones called the turtles were that which is known as destroyed."

"The one called Shredder assured Kraang that the ones called the turtles were that which is known as destroyed."

"Perhaps the one called Shredder was that which is known as dishonest."

"... Alert Kraang Prime."

…

In Shredder's throne room, we was watching the battle down below progress on a monitor screen, and completely displeased by the outcome.

"More forces converge on the lower levers!" Shredder ordered on comms. "Someone quell this this fiasco!"

Just then, the screen cut out and shifted to Kraang Prime taking up the screen.

 _"Shredder, you bungling idiot!"_ Kraang Prime addressed.

Shredder scowled at the insults being dealt to him.

"How dare you address me in such a manner, you grotesque ganglia!" Shredder responded.

 _"You have forged this alliance under false pretenses."_ Kraang Prime accused.

"What are you babbling about?" Shredder asked. "I slayed the turtles as I promised."

 _Lies! I have received reports that the turtles are in this facility even as we speak."_

"What?" Shredder exclaimed, going wide-eyed.

 _"Your partnership with us is at risk. Deal with is, or I'll- … eal-... you-"_

Kraang Prime's transmission continued glitching until it cut out completely. Shredder didn't seem to care as he continued mauling over his words.

"The turtles… alive?" Shredder pondered. "But Stockman assured me that they were-"

Suddenly, a thought came to his mind, making him scowl in anger.

"Stockman." he realized before trying to call the aforementioned doctor. "Stockman report."

The only thing Shredder received was static.

"Stockman. Stockman!"

Enraged, Shredder slammed his fist down on the comms on his throne, destroying it. He then got up and went to get Karai and Nakumo.

…

"These Utroms are trying to breach our security and ruin all of our work." Karai addressed a platoon of Foot Ninja. "I want all available forces down there to dispose of this nuisance."

"Cancel that order." Shredder demanded, causing Karai and Nakumo to turn towards him as he entered the room.

"But Father-" Karai began to object.

"The turtles are alive," Shredder interrupted. "And in this building."

"What?" Karai exclaimed. "But how?"

"It does not matter." Shredder dismissed. "I want all available forces dispatched to every floor. Put all stations on full alert. Nothing is to reach this floor without my say so! Find them!"

"Yes Master." Nakumo replied bowing.

"As you command, Father." Karai said, bowing as well.

"And someone get me Stockman!" Shredder yelled as his forces moved out.

…

Meanwhile, the turtles and Splinter come out in what can only be described as a high tech weapons vault. Different types of firearms ranging from normal human guns to alien tech straight out of Space Heroes dotted the walls. Strange vehicles were lined up in rows along the wall, giving the entire area a strange and eerie vibe. Raph let out a whistle of impressiveness.

"Looks like Shredder taken full advantage of his partnership with the brain blobs." Raph remarked.

"I know," Donnie agreed. "It's like I've died and gone to techno-geek heaven."

"A turtle could do some real damage with this stuff." Raph imagined, looking at some kind of skiff.

While looking around, Mikey picked up some gun looking thing and examined it.

"What do you think this thing does?" Mikey asked.

The gun then went off, shooting a cloud of gas at him, causing him to cough and choke in response. Splinter took the gun from the orange turtle, returning it to where Mikey had found it.

"That answer your question lame-brain?" Leo asked.

"Come," Splinter instructed. "We have no time to delay."

The five continued forward, unaware of the three transparent figures moving through the cloud of smoke towards the group. As they continued walking, Splinter stopped and held out his stick, halting the turtles as well.

"What is it Sensei?" Leo asked.

"I sense… something." he answered. "A presence in the room.

"Nobody here but us turtles." Mikey joked.

Soon as those words left his mouth, something struck him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"On second thought," Mikey let out.

"Foot Tech Ninjas!" Donnie deduced.

"Again with these bozos?!" Raph asked.

Just then, all of them were hit by a bombardment of unseen strikes and blows, jerking them all around the room.

"Don't worry guys," Donnie reassured, reaching into his bag and pulling out a shuriken. "I came prepared for something like-"

Just then, the shuriken got knocked out of his hand, his bag ripped from his grasp and tossed aside. Splinter tried to zero in on one of them, but was met with a strike that imbedded him into a shelf. Leo kept swinging his swords around wildly, but each time his strikes met nothing but air.

"How can we fight something if we can't even see it?!" Leo complained.

Mikey tried swinging at one with his Nunchucks, but was just beaten back into a wall. As he got up, he saw the gas gun he was playing with earlier. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He quickly ran over and grabbed the gun.

"Suck gas evil doers!" Mikey quipped.

Mikey then fired the gun, which shot out a cloud of gas around the room. As Leo opened his eyes after shielding them from the gas, he saw a Foot Tech Ninja standing next to him.

"Nice work Mike!" Leo called out before elbowing the ninja in the chest, using the back of his fist to hit him in the face, and spinning around to palm strike him in the chest.

Donnie then quickly rolled on the ground to retrieve his discarded shuriken and as he got to his feet, threw it at the ninja's cloaking control in his chest. As it made impact, the shuriken let out a massive electric charge that short circuited the cloaking mechanism on the Foot Tech's armor. The ninja then fell to the ground, convulsing in pain.

"Electric shuriken?" Leo asked walking over to him.

"Pretty sweet huh?" Donnie asked. "Instant short circuit."

"Now we just need to find the other two." Leo told him.

Donnie scoped around the room and saw a figure moving through the decreasing cloud of smoke.

"I got him!" Donnie called out, pulling out another shuriken and throwing it at him.

Once again, the shuriken hit the cloaking control and short circuited the mechanism. The ninja fell to the ground as the other turtles met up with Leo and Don.

"That's two down." Raph observed.

"But where is the third?" Splinter asked.

As if to answer his question, a loud rumbling sound started roaring out. They all turned to see a large blue tank with four claws attached to the front barreling towards them.

"Aw shell." Donnie cursed.

The cannon fired a missile at the group, causing them to scatter. As Raph landed, he saw a weird jet like craft that was designed like a bike with razor parts on the front. Raph saw this and smirked.

"Maybe it's time to use some toys on them." he remarked.

He climbed onto the razor jet and began messing with the controls, trying to activate it. Finally, he was able to get the jet into the air.

"Booyakasha." he let out as he shot the jet forward.

He then fired a blue laser at the tank, damaging it slightly. One laser shot hit the ninja, screwing with his cloaking controls. The ninja then maneuvered one of the claws to clip one of the jets wings, causing Raph to fly out of control.

"Time to get the shell out of here!" Raph decided before bailing out.

The jet kept flying out of control until it crashed into the ceiling, creating a massive hole as Raph landed on the jet.

"Eh, the place needed a skylight." he remarked.

He then leapt towards the cockpit and began wrestling with the ninja over control of the tank. Raph tried to reach for the off button, but the ninja grabbed hold of his arm, preventing him from reaching it.

"We gotta help him!" Mikey yelled.

"Right," Leo agreed. "Come on!"

Leo and Mikey quickly ran towards the tank. Mikey extended his chain and wrapped it around the ninja before pulling him off. Leo then leapt into the air and kicked in the ninja, sending him flying into a column. Raph took the opportunity to press the off button, deactivating the tank. He let out a sigh of relief as he slumped into the chair. With his cloaking on the fritz, Donnie took out one more shuriken and threw it at the ninja, taking him out as well.

"Well, that was interesting." Leo commented as they all reconvened.

"So what now?" Mikey asked.

"Nowhere to go but up." Raph remarked, gesturing to the hole in the ceiling.

The turtles then took out their grappling hooks and fired at the opening in the ceiling. Splinter grabbed hold of Leo's as they all made it up. Once they made it to the next floor, all five of them were caught off guard by the sight of three grotesque creatures floating in some form of suspended animation in green tubes.

"Whoa." Mikey let out.

"What is this place?" Raph asked.

"April, check the building schematics." Donnie requested. "See if you can find out which floor we're on."

 _"From what I can tell, you're in some sort of genetics lab set up by Baxter Stockman himself."_ April supplied. _"Unfortunately, I'm not sure what exactly he was working on up there."_

"I thought Stockman was into robotics?" Leo asked. "Why would he need a genetics lab?"

"Maybe he just has wacked out hobbies?" Mikey asked.

"Hardly helping Mikey." Donnie replied. "Though probably 89 percent accurate."

…

From another part of the building, Stockman was watching the turtles' progress on a monitor in his lab.

"Indeed I do turtle." Stockman remarked to the turtles comment before pressing a few keys on a keyboard. "Let me show you a bit more of what my hobbies entail."

…

Back down in the lab, an alarm started going off, causing the turtles and Splinter to panic.

"Ok before anyone asks, I didn't touch anything!" Mikey insisted.

Just then, the tubes suddenly opened up, releasing the liquid contained inside, and freeing the three creatures they contained, each of them resembling a certain hated nemesis of theirs.

"Is that… the Shredder?" Mikey asked.

"No…" Donnie answered. "But they might be his genetic clones."

The creatures then stepped into the light, revealing their true forms. One was overly muscular with four arms, one was skinnier and had crab claws for hands, and one was miniature sized, but all wore the armor of the Shredder. With each of them letting out a mighty roar, they charged towards the heroes, ready to tear them apart.


	41. Battle for New York Part 2

_Donatello here, and once again we have been given the task of saving the world._

 _The Kraang and the Shredder have teamed up to try and take over the world, and it's up to us and our new allies the Utroms to stop them. Our plan has proven successful so far, the Utroms, aided with a now more intelligent Leatherhead, launched a full scale attack on Shredder's lair to keep his forces preoccupied. Meanwhile, my brothers, Master Splinter, and I snuck inside to reach their mutagen missile and take it down. We've been doing pretty great, all things considered. I've been able to help April and the Fugitoid clog their communications network, so we could kick some Foot Clan butt undeterred. We had our hands full with the Foot Tech Ninjas, but they were no match for the heroes in green._

 _Though I don't think any of us could have been prepared for what came next, mutant Shredder clones!_

...

At TCRI, a squadron of Kraang had arrived at TCRI to destroy the Utroms. Using one of their energy cannons, they easily blasted down the front doors to the building. One by one, the Kraang marched inside, with the last one to enter being Kraang Subprime.

"At long last, the elusive Utroms have been found!" Subprime exclaimed. "Today, the Kraang achieve ultimate victory over this world, and our long hated enemies! Move forth my loyal subjects, for the glory of Kraang!"

Just then, a small silver disk like object came cruising through the air. As it made contact with one of the Kraang droids, it exploded, taking the Kraang droid out as well.

"Goongala!" Casey shouted, pumping the air with his hockey stick.

"Destroy him!" Subprime ordered.

The Kraang readied their blaster to fire at Casey, but he just stood firm as confident as ever.

"I wouldn't do that." he warned. "My new friends might not approve."

With that, several guardians dropped down and drew their swords. Casey then reached into his bag and pulled out more of those explosive disks.

"Man, these disks the Utroms whipped up are pretty handy." Casey commented as he dropped them on the ground. "Makes taking out these brain blobs so much easier!"

With that, Casey then shot one disk after another at the Kraang as the Guardians ran forward. The Guardians wasted no time slicing through the droids like they were nothing. Subprime quickly became annoyed of this and activated his elbow missile, blasting a few guardians away.

...

In the Transmat room, April and Fugitoid could hear the explosions from their computer.

"Looks like the Kraang have arrived." Fugitoid observed.

"Donnie, the Kraang are here." April reported. "You guys need to hurry."

...

Back in Foot HQ, the turtles and Splinter were in an intense battle with the monstrous Shredder clones. Leo was duking it out with the claw Shredder, Raph and Splinter were doubled up on the multi arm Shredder, and Donnie and Mikey were tag teamed against the mini Shredder.

"What the shell are these things Don?" Raph asked, blocking an arm.

"Some kind of genetic clones by my guess." Donnie surmised. "Though they seemed to have suffered some instability in the recombination process. Hence the extreme mutations."

Leo continued slicing at the claw Shredder, but his blades seemed to be doing nothing against its hide. The clone tried to strike at Leo with its claw, but Leo quickly brought a sword up to block it. Leo used the hilt of his other sword to hit the claw Shredder in the head, sending him back a bit, but otherwise not doing any damage.

"These things are full on armor." Leo observed.

"You're telling me." Raph replied, dodging around the arms of the multi arm Shredder. "Fighting this thing is like fighting a four armed dump truck."

The multi arm Shredder responded by using his two right arms to knock Raph back. Splinter quickly dashed forward and swung his stick at the clones head. Splinter quickly blocked an arm strike before blocking a second. Multi arm Shredder used a third arm to grab Splinter by the throat and slam him to the ground, only for Raph to run up and kick him in the head.

The mini Shredder continued dancing around the strikes of Donnie's staff and Mikey's Nunchucks.

"Hold still you little puke!" Mikey told him.

The mini Shredder then leapt towards Mikey and grabbed hold of his face.

"AH!" Mikey cried out. "Get it off! Get it off!"

"Hold still Mikey." Donnie told him.

Donnie took a swing at the mini Shredder, but he quickly jumped off, causing Donnie to hit Mikey in the face as mini Shredder kicked Donnie in the chest. Donnie stumbled back a bit before reaching for his headset.

"April, we could really use an exit right now." Donnie insisted. "Fire escape, an elevator, anything?"

 _"Working on it Don."_ April replied. _"Just give me a second."_

"Do me a favor," Donnie responded, trying to hit the rapidly moving mini Shredder. "Work faster."

As he finished that, the mini Shredder leapt towards Donnie and kicked him in the chest again, this time knocking him into the multi arm Shredder. The clone then wrapped all four of his arms around Donnie, trying to crush him. Don cried out in pain as he tried to break free from the clones iron grip, but to no avail. As the multi arm Shredder continued squeezing Donnie, Raph landed on his shoulders and drove his sai into him. The multi arm Shredder cried out in pain as he threw his arms up, releasing Donnie and letting him fall to the floor. The clone then grabbed Raph and threw him into Donnie, knocking them both back and causing Donnie's headset to fall off.

 _"Don?"_ April called out.

...

"Donnie!" April cried.

"Donatello, do you read?" Fugitoid called out.

The two looked to each other nervously.

"I'm sure they're alright, April." Fugitoid reassured, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I hope you right, Professor." April replied. "I hope you're right."

...

Out in the hallway, the guardians charged at Kraang Subprime, and one by one, Subprime swatted them away. He then activated saw blades on his hands and brought them down on a guardian's sword. Subprime then kicked the guardian away and was about to bring his saw down on him when Casey came running up.

"Goongala!" He cried out as he leapt up into the air and swung his hockey stick at him.

The stick shattered on impact as he landed. He turned back to Subprime only for him to grab Casey by the throat and picked him up into the air with a saw blade arm drawn back.

"Pitiful human!" Subprime taunted. "Kraang was meant to dominate this earth! You and your kind are finished!"

"This coming from something you'd more likely step on while on the sidewalk." Casey remarked, causing Kraang Subprime to growl in response.

"Mr. Jones!" a guardian called out.

Casey turned to see the guardian tossing him a stun baton. He quickly grabbed it and used it to block the oncoming saw blade. He then shoved him off and used the baton to hit Subprime in his bodies head, causing him to release Casey and stumble back a bit.

"You will suffer for that, fleshling!" Subprime threatened.

...

Meanwhile, Donnie and Raph slowly picked themselves up as the multi arm Shredder loomed over them. Splinter saw this and ran over to them, leaping into the air and kicking the clone away. As Splinter landed, he ran towards the clone as it brought all four of its fists up to fight. It tried punching Splinter with one hand, but Splinter dodged it and delivered a nerve strike to its arm. The arm went limp as it tried the same thing with the other arm. Splinter did a nerve strike on that one as well, causing it to go limp. It tried with a third arm, but Splinter just caught it before twisting it, causing it to go down on one knee. Splinter then performed a palm strike on the clone's chest, sending it flying into an electrical generator, electrocuting the clone before it fell to the ground.

"Nice one Sensei!" Mikey cheered.

Unfortunately, turning to commend Splinter left Mikey open for the mini Shredder to strike, knocking Mikey to the ground. Leo was having similar luck with the claw Shredder, barely dodging the various claw strikes. Finally, the clone landed a hit, sending him right next to Mikey.

"Man these chumps are tough." Mikey commented.

"Agreed." Leo concurred as they got up. "What do you say we switch dance partners?"  
Mikey nodded as he charged for the claw Shredder, leaving Leo to duke it out with mini Shredder. Leo blocked every strike and attack mini Shredder dealt him. He then shoved him back, hoping the little trouble maker would charge at him.

"Come on small fry," he challenged. "Come get me."  
The mini Shredder then leapt at him, making Leo step aside and kick him in the back of the head.

"Mikey, duck!" Leo called out.

Mikey obliged and ducked as the mini Shredder collided with the claw Shredder. The two then tripped over Mikey and fell to the ground.

"Aw yeah!" Mikey let out.

Thinking to sweeten the deal, the two turtles then leapt onto one of the green tubes holding the creatures and began rocking it back and forth. Finally, the tube tipped over. Leo and Mikey jumped off as the tube fell on top of the two clones, presumably knocking them out. Leo and Mikey high fived each other as the others joined up with them. Suddenly, Mikey's shell cell went off. He was quick to answer it.

"Tortuga brothers clone control, you splice em we slice em." Mikey answered jokingly.

 _"Do I even want to know?"_ April asked.

"Long story April, hang on." Mikey replied before passing the phone to Donnie. "Don, it's for you."

Donnie took the shell cell and pulled out the headset attached.

"April, what's up?" Donnie responded.

 _"I finally managed to find you a new exit."_ she explained. _"There's an elevator off to your right."_

Donnie looks over and sees the elevator in question, across the large gaping hole in the middle of the room.

"You've got to be kiddin me." Raph complained.

"It's the only way up." Donnie replied. "Even if we can't get across."

"Chillax guys," Mikey voiced, stepping forward and extending his chain. "I got this."

With that, Mikey threw his chain at one of the pipe overhead, proceeding to swing across as he let out a Tarzan yell. Once he touched down on the other side, he shoved the

chain back across the chasm and into Raph's waiting hand.

"Really Mikey?" the red turtle questioned.

"What were you expecting?" Mikey retorted. "A cleverly placed 'Booyakasha?"

Raph just rolled his eyes as he threw the chain back over to Donnie. After he swung across, he tossed the chain over to Leo and Splinter as he got to work on the elevator. As Leo grabbed the chain, he looked over and saw the three clones getting back on their feet and moving towards them.

"Think we better hustle Sensei." Leo suggested.

With that, both of them grabbed hold of the chain and swung across, dislodging it from the overhead pipe and handing it to Mikey.

"Ha! Bite it clone boys!" Mikey taunted. "You're there, we're here, and never the two shall meet."

Surprisingly, the clones responded by leaping over the massive gap and right in front of them.

"You just couldn't help it could you?" Raph asked, drawing his weapons again.

"What can I say?" Mikey asked. "Taunting the bad guys comes naturally to me."

"Donnie how's that elevator coming?" Leo asked.

"I'm working as fast as I can!" Dannie replied, his fingers visibly speeding up.

Finally, the elevator doors opened, and the turtles didn't waste a second piling in. the claw Shredder tried sprinting at them, but Raph just kicked him away as the doors closed.

"That was close." Donnie let out as the others stopped to catch their breath.

"Ok, did Shredder just wake up one morning and say 'hey, here's a good idea to destroy Splinter and the turtles, mutant clones of me. Really ugly ones.'" Mikey inquired doing his best Shredder impression.

"Wouldn't be the craziest idea he's come up with to take us out." Raph remarked.

Just then, the car seemed to stop moving. The turtles and Splinter turned to see the multi arm Shredder trying to pry the doors open. Donnie quickly took out another electric shuriken and threw it at the door, consequently shocking the clone and making him fall to the ground. Fearing the elevator was no longer a viable option, Leo used a sword to open the emergency hatch in the roof.

"Mikey!" he shouted.

"One nunchuck express coming up!" Mikey answered, gripping a single nunchaku as a step up.

One by one, the turtles and Splinter used Mikey's nunchaku and made it up to the roof. Once everyone was out, Leo and Donnie grabbed Mikey's arms and pulled him up. Once they were all up, Leo eyed one particular cable and hatched a plan.

"Everyone! Grab hold of the counter weight cable!" he ordered.

Everyone did as Leo commanded, grabbing the cable as the blue turtle pulled out a sword. Just as the clones climbed up onto the roof, Leo cut the cable, sending the car plummeting to the ground.

"See you next fall!" Mikey called out, punching the air with his free hand. "Yes! I finally got to use that."

"Brace yourselves!" Leo cautioned. "It's about to hit!"

Below them, the elevator car hit the ground with a loud crash. The resulting shockwave shook the cable, causing the turtles and Splinter to fly up the shaft and desperately try to grab onto anything within reach and avoid the long fall below them. Leo managed to catch hold of the lip of an elevator door, immediately reaching out for his family. He caught Raph's arm, who in turn grabbed Mikey, who managed to snag Donnie, who was able to use his Bo staff to catch Splinter.

"My sons, are you alright?" Splinter asked.

"Super-duper dad." Mikey replied nervously.

"Yeah, peachy." Raph answered in a dry manner.

Donnie pulled his staff up so Splinter could climb up to the elevator. Once Splinter did so, the rat quickly pried open the doors with his walking stick before pulling his sons up one by one. They all then filed into a large orange hallway leading to a door with a big Foot symbol on it.

"Okay April, any idea where we are?" Donnie questioned.  
 _"Not sure,"_ April replied. _"What floor number are you at?"_

Donnie peered out into the shaft and saw a big 74 on the wall.

"74." Donnie answered.

There was a minute of typing sounds, then April spoke up again.

 _"I'm sorry Don, but the floor you're on doesn't show up on the building's schematics."_ she informed him. _"There's just a blank space."_

 _"The same on the Kraang specs."_ Fugitoid chimed in. _"Whatever Shredder has planned on that floor, he didn't want anyone to know about it."_

"Well that's encouraging." Donnie lamented as he rejoined the others.

Before they could go any further, Splinter held out his walking stick, causing the turtles to stop dead in their tracks.

"What is it Sensei?" Leo asked.

"There is something here." he told them before taking a few whiffs. "...traps."

"Figured Shred-head's got the whole joint booby trapped." Raph remarked.

"We must proceed with caution." Splinter instructed before leaping to one of the walls.

He continued jumping from wall to wall until he reached the door. Leo waited until his sensei reached the very end, then followed his exact path, landing right in front of Splinter. Donnie then followed suit and made it across as well. Raph went next and attempted to follow in the path of the others, but a miscalculated jump caused him to lose his footing and fall to the floor. He landed on his feet, but accidentally activated a pressure plate on the floor.

"Raph look out!" Donnie cried out.

Raph looked up to see a large pendulum swinging towards him. Raph quickly rolled out of the way before it could make contact. As he got back to his feet, several giant buzz saws came out of the walls right towards him. Raph wasted no time ducking under one and jumping over the other. As he landed though, he activated another panel, causing part of the floor to open up and reveal a massive pit of spikes as he ran forward. Seeing this, Raph made a remarkable leap over the pit and landed on the other side. Raph let out a nervous chuckle as he looked back.

"Well…" he observed, "That could have gone better."

"Way to go, Raph." Donnie chastised.

"Hey I made it didn't I?" Raph reminded.

"And what about Michelangelo?" Splinter inquired.

"No prob Master Splinter!" Mikey called out. "I'll be through this oversized knife collection before you know it."

Mikey then continued dodging the pendulums and leaping over the buzz saws until he made it up to the spike pit. With a massive flip, he landed right in front of his family.

"See?" he told them. "Not even a scratch."

Just then, another pendulum dropped down from the ceiling and landed right behind Mikey, cutting off the tails of his mask and causing him to freeze up in fright. Thankfully, the orange turtle was not hurt.

"You were saying?" Raph asked mockingly.

"Um…" Mikey tried to respond, feeling the remains of his mask. "The trendy new short headbands are in this season. All the stylish ninja are wearing them."

"Just make sure that's all that gets cut off Mikey." Leo told him. "We can't afford to fool around. Not today."

With that, Leo went over to the door and pushed it open, revealing a large room that seemed to contain several large glass pods lining the walls. At the center of it all, was a large container of mutagen. The turtles and Splinter looked around marveling the sights before them. Looking closer at some of pods, Donnie saw that almost all of them had some sort of mutated creature suspended in it.

"Incredible." Donnie let out. "All the creatures in these pods are mutants."

Suddenly, something clicked in Leo's mind.

"Guys," he said turning around towards them. "Remember when we first met Muckman? When Bebop and Rocksteady were hunting for mutagen canisters? I think this is what they were doing with them."

"Aw shell..." Raph swore. "He's building a mutant army"

"I kinda find it impressive that even during an alien invasion, Shredder still manages to come across as the greater threat." Mikey marveled.

"Come on," Leo ordered. "Let's make sure neither of their plans succeed today."

Before they could get much farther, a barrage of bullets was let out at their feet, causing them to freeze in their tracks.

"Well, well, well." the voice of Bebop let out. "Looks like we got some trespassing turtles in here."

The turtles and Splinter turned to see Bebop holding a machine gun with Rocksteady right next to him, holding a large sledge hammer.

"Oh great, you two numbskulls." Raph lamented.

"That's us." Rocksteady confirmed. "The boss sent us down here to watch out for trespassers."

"Oh yeah?" Mikey asked. "Well how do you know we're trespassers? I mean, what qualifies as a trespasser?"

"Anyone that's not a freak willing to crush you turtles." Bebop answered.

"Well it was worth a shot." Mikey lamented.

"Five ninja masters versus two complete morons?" Leo observed, pulling out a sword. "We got this."

That's when a loud sniffing sound was heard off to the side.

"You smell that, Tokka?" Rahzar's voice asked as the mutant dog emerged from the shadows.

"I do, Rahzar." Tokka replied, appearing beside his friend. "Smells like it's lunch time."

"Tokka and Rahzar?" Mikey let out, shocked. "Here?! We thought you hated humans!"

"We have our reasons for siding with the Shredder." Tokka told them. "One of them is getting to eat you."

"We would have done so at the old stuff store," Rahzar told them. "But he said we shouldn't 'overplay our hand'."

"Old stuff store?" Donnie repeated before realizing what that meant. "The antique shop! You lead the Foot there!"

"Oopsie." Rahzar let out.

Donnie saw red, and in a move right out of Raph's book, charged right at the mutant dog. As Donnie swung his staff at Rahzar, the mutant dog grabbed it with his mouth, and threw him into his brothers, causing them to fall to the ground.

"Anymore gung ho tactics you want to try?" Leo asked.

"Relax D." Mikey reassured as they all got up. "We can take these chumps! It's five against four!"

At that moment, the sound of metallic servos hissing filled the room. Then, the door leading out of the room exploded inward as a large robot entered. The robot seemed to be designed like one of the Foot Elites, but was much bigger, as well as bulkier.

"What the shell is that?" Raph asked.

"Looks like some kind of Robo-Foot soldier." Donnie observed.

The robot turned towards Donnie, its red robotic eyes scanning the turtle up and down. Once it finished its scan, it produced a metal Bo staff, twirling it in a fashion identical to Donnie's signature style.

"Dude, I think it just copied your moves." Mikey observed. "I think I know how to beat this."

He then put his chucks away and grabbed one of Leo's swords before running towards him.

"Booyaka-"

Before he could finish, the robot swatted him away with the staff, causing him and the sword to fly through the air. Leo caught the sword as Mikey landed next to him and the others.

"Aw man, I thought that would work." Mikey let out, holding his head in pain. "Chrome dome is tougher than he looks."

"Chrome dome?" Raph repeated. "Mikey, is this really the time for you to be playing Dr. Namenstein?"

"What?" Mikey replied, getting to his feet. "Giving our enemies cute nicknames makes them 20 percent less intimidating."

"Um, where are you getting your numbers exactly?" Donnie asked.

"Enough." Splinter cut off. "Deal with the mutants, I will try and subdue the robot."

The turtles nodded before splitting up do deal with the various mutants out for their heads. Splinter wasted no time charging towards Chrome dome. Splinter tried to strike him with his stick, but Chrome dome brought the staff up to block it. Chrome dome then shoved Splinter off and tried swinging at him. Fortunately, Splinter was able to duck under it and strike Chrome dome across the face. The robot slowly turned his face back to Splinter, ready to deal out more damage.

Raph went straight at Tokka, striking him repeatedly with the blunt end of his sai. Finally having enough, Tokka tried taking a snap at him. Raph quickly blocked his mouth with a sai, but Tokka just used his mouth to throw him up into the air. As he fell, Tokka punched him in the chest, causing him to collide with a wall.

"Nice try, shrimp." Tokka taunted, his beak dripping with saliva. "Now just sit there like a good entree."

"Not a chance 'Jaws of steel'." Raph replied, getting out of the crater in the wall and spinning his sai. "You're overdue for a dentist appointment, and the doctor is in."  
With that, Raph charged at the mutant snapping turtle and jumped into the air, kicking him in the face.

Meanwhile, Donnie was having at it with Rahzar again, striking him in the face repeatedly with his staff.

"You nearly hurt a friend of mine!" Donnie told him. "Destroyed her home!"

Finally, Rahzar caught his staff with one hand and used the other to pin him to the ground.

"You act like I care." Rahzar told him. "Carol and Jeffrey are only humans worth anything in this world!"

"Yeah, I bet they'd be so proud if they saw you now." Donnie taunted. "Playing lackeys to a psychopath."

Rahzar lost it, bringing his claws down on Donnie. Thankfully, he was able to twist out of the way with seconds to spare. He then grabbed one of Rahzar's ears and yanked it as hard as he could, causing the mutant dog to cry out in pain and release Donnie from his grip. Donnie then gave an uppercut to Rahzar's chin, knocking him back a bit. Rahzar however was quick to recover and landed on all fours as Donnie reclaimed his staff.

While that was happening, Leo was moving around the room, dodging the seemingly limitless amount of bullets Bebop was dishing out.

"Stand still turtle!" Bebop called out. "Quit jumping around so I can turn you into Swiss cheese!"

"Fat chance, fatso!" Leo called back, dishing out several throwing stars.

Bebop quickly ducked to avoid them, though one seemed to get lodged into the barrel of the gun. Bebop noticed this and tried to pull it out. While he was distracted, Leo ran up and kicked the gun out of his hands.

"Looks like you're out of toys." Leo taunted.

"Not quite." Bebop countered.

He then reached behind his back and pulled out a chainsaw, much to Leo's shock.

"You have got to be kidding me." Leo let out.

Bebop then tried to bring the chainsaw down on Leo, causing the blue turtle to bolt out of the way.

"Shredder must be crazy if he gave you a chainsaw." Leo declared, narrowing avoiding the spinning blades of death.

Meanwhile, Bebop's partner was in the midst of a game of whack a turtle. Rocksteady kept trying to back Mikey with his hammer, but the orange turtle kept leaping out of the way.

"Stop bouncing around, you little leapfrog!" Rocksteady cried out.

After trying to take another swing at him, Mikey back flipped onto Rocksteady's back and wrapped his nunchaku chain around his neck. Rocksteady thrashed around trying to throw him off, but Mikey kept his grip on the mutant rhino.

"I always wanted to be in a rodeo!" Mikey exclaimed. "Woohoo! Get along little mutant rhinoceros!"

After thrashing around for a bit, Rocksteady went to all fours and charged towards a wall. Mikey saw this and before he could get off, Rocksteady screeched to a halt, launching Mikey off him and sending him colliding with the wall. As Mikey regained his senses, he saw Rocksteady charging after him. Not wanting to become flattened, he pulled himself off the wall and ran towards Rocksteady jumping over him. Before he could land though, Rocksteady grabbed him by the leg and spun him around a bit before throwing him into Leo. The two turtles collided hard, nearly knocking their shells loose.

Meanwhile, Splinter and Chrome dome were still exchanging blows with each other. Chrome dome tried bringing his staff down on top of Splinter, but he was able to block it just in time. Splinter then wrapped his tail around the staff before kicking him off, dislodging it from his hands. Splinter then took hold of the staff and tossed it aside.

"What tricks have you now?" Splinter asked.

Chrome dome only responded by turning his head over to Leo and scanning him. He then sprouted a pair of katanas from his hands, getting into Leo's signature stance. Splinter scowled at the sight before him.

"You will not succeed by copying my sons." He challenged.

Chrome dome just sprinted forward and tried swinging his swords at Splinter. The rat sensei was able to dodge and duck under every strike. Finally, he brought his stick up to block a sword strike, causing the two to lock weapons for a moment.

Meanwhile, the turtles all grouped back together to come up with a plan.

"These guys sure aren't making it easy." Donnie commented.

"Any ideas on how we can stop them?" Leo asked.

Donnie looked around and saw one of the mutant containment pods suspended in the air.

"Maybe we can trap them inside one of those pods." Donnie suggested. "It would just be a matter of figuring out how we would get them inside."

"Yeah, we can barely hurt these guys." Mikey commented.

Leo looked at the four mutants and found something of note from them. Bebop and Rocksteady were high fiving and laughing with each other while Rahzar was helping Tokka to his feet. This gave Leo an idea.

"Maybe we don't have to hurt them." he proposed. "We just need them to hurt each other."

It took a moment, then the other turtles caught on. Mikey quickly got into position right in front of Rahzar and prepared to make his move.

"Hey Rocksteady!" Mikey called out, getting the mutants attention. "Your mama wears combat boots!"

"Hey, my mama rocked the combat boots!" Rocksteady shouted indignantly.

Rocksteady then charged towards Mikey at full force. Mikey quickly dove out of the way, causing Rocksteady to plow right into Rahzar by mistake. Tokka saw his friend go down, then he turned to Rocksteady with murder in his eyes.

"Get off him!" Tokka shouted, leaping on the dog's back and sinking his beak into his shoulder.

Rocksteady cried out in pain as he tried to throw the mutant snapping turtle off. Bebop quickly rushed over and threw Tokka to the ground. Rahzar then pounced on him, trying to bite his head off. The turtles looked at this with pure delight.

"Man this is so much fun when the mauling happens to someone else." Mikey commented.

"Donnie, can we contain them?" Leo questioned.

"Just give me a few seconds." Donnie replied, heading over to a control panel.

After a bit of working, Donnie was able to move one of the containers towards the mutants. He kept it up until the pod was right over their heads.

"Got it." Donnie noted, pleased. "Oh boys!"

The mutants looked up from their tussling to see Don press another button on the console, dropping the pod right onto them, trapping them inside. They all tried clawing and punching at the pod, but it held regardless.

"That should give you boys plenty of time to work out your differences." Raph remarked.

"Come on, let's help Splinter." Leo told them.

Back with Splinter, he continued clashing with Chrome dome's blades, both displaying high amounts of skill in combat. As the two locked weapons again, Chrome dome was able to pull a blade free and was about to bring it down on Splinter. Suddenly, Mikey's kusarigama chain wrapped around his arm, pulling it back.

"We got your back Sensei." Mikey reassured.

"My thanks Michelangelo." Splinter replied.

Chrome dome was about to use his other blade to cut the chain, but Leo landed next to him and grabbed the arm, preventing him from doing so. Donnie seized the opportunity to leap onto Chrome dome's back and throw off its back panel. Seeing a cluster of wires present inside, he wasted no time grabbing a hand full and pulling them out. The robot seemed to have stopped for a moment but there was still some mechanical whirring from it. Donnie went wide eyed upon hearing it.

"That doesn't sound good." Donnie let out.

Chrome dome's whole upper torso then began spinning out of control, bringing Leo and Mikey along for the ride.

"Noooooooooot agaaaaaaaaain!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Donnie, do something!" Leo told him.

Thinking frantically, Donnie pulled out his staff, activated the blade, and jammed it into the robots back. The robot suddenly stopped, launching Leo and

Mikey off before kneeling over and falling to the ground destroyed. Donnie got up from the robot's remains as the others slowly picked themselves up.

"Remind me never to get on a tilt N whirl." Mikey joked.

Donnie just chuckled as he helped his brother to his feet.

"Well that was fun." Leo commented.

"Makes you wonder what's waiting for us on the next twenty floors." Donnie lamented.

"If we even make it that far." Raph responded.

"Can't really afford not to, can we?" Leo reminded.

"April," Donnie called again. "Can you find us some way out? A stairwell? Anything?"

 _"I think the professor and I found an elevator that reaches your floor."_ April reported. _"Check along the east wall."_

The turtles looked towards that wall and saw a Foot banner on the wall. Leo went over and after pulling out his swords, jumped into the air and cut the banner to pieces, revealing the elevator behind it.

"Hope this elevator ride goes better than our last one." Raph remarked.

"Where's this one gonna take us?" Mikey asked. "A room of mutant leeches or killer shrimp?"

They all just ignored Mikey as they piled into the elevator waiting for April's response.

 _"Actually guys, this one leads you straight to the top."_ She replied. _"You're on your way."_

With that, the elevator doors closed and the car went up.

"Well, it's too late to turn back now." Leo commented. "From here on out, it's all or nothing."

"Whatever the outcome of the battle today, I want you to know this." Splinter addressed. "I am proud of you all. My ninja. My sons."

The turtles all sprouted smiles on their faces, feeling more confident for the task at hand than before. Finally, the elevator stopped and the doors opened up.

The true battle for New York, and the world, was about to begin.


	42. Battle for New York Part 3

_I am Splinter, and at present, my sons and I are engaged in a battle for the world itself. Our alien adversaries, the Kraang, have formed an alliance with my ancient enemy, Oroku Saki, the Shredder. The Kraang plan to mutate this world into one that reflects their home dimension, so they may wipe out their hated enemies, the Utroms._  
 _We have made a pact with the Utroms to defeat both our enemies. The Utroms have engaged the Kraang in a frontal assault while my family have snuck in the back to dismantle their mutagen weapon._  
 _Our task has not been an easy one. We have faced the Shredder's forces, his technology, and all manner of mutated creatures. However, there is another purpose for which we fight. It would seem the Shredder's daughter Karai is in truth the blood of my fallen master, Hamato Yoshi. I have tasked my son Leonardo with the mission to help Karai realize that she has been nothing more than a tool for the Shredder's revenge. Whether we succeed or not this night, we will be in for the fight of our lives._

...

The turtles made their way down the hallway the elevator let out into. The air was ominous and heavy, thick with tension and no small amount of fear. Eventually, they reached a large pair of ornate doors. They immediately knew that this was the place.

"Ready guys?" Leo asked.

Everyone gave a silent nod in response. Leo then proceeded to kick down the doors, leading to Shredder's throne room. Shredder wasn't there at present, but Karai and Nakumo were, with Karai sitting on some of the steps and Nakumo leaning on the side.

"So, you really are alive," Karai noted, sharpening her tanto with a stone. "Don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed."

"Say, if it ain't tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber." Raph commented, earning a silent wince from Leo.

"Impressive trick, escaping the fire." Nakumo commended, standing up and pulling out his swords.

"But it was pretty stupid of you freaks to come here." Karai added, standing up and snapping her fingers.

In an instant, four clouds of smoke appeared, each one revealing one of the Foot elites.

"If I were you, I would have stayed dead." she remarked, pointing her tanto at Leo's face.

Leo scowled at her, feeling more than annoyed.

"You got lucky last time Karai." Donnie told her. "This time, we're all in this together."

"Ha!" Hun let out, coming out of the doorway behind them. "You don't know how true that is."

The turtles and Splinter all circled up, feeling overwhelmed with all the enemies surrounding them.

"Well ain't this a fine development." Raph observed. "Why don't they just have at us now and get it over with?"

"They are waiting." Splinter told them.

"Waiting for what?" Mikey asked.

"Orders." Leo answered.

"Astute observation, Leonardo." Shredder's voice complimented.

The turtles turned to see a tapestry on the wall being yanked aside, revealing the Shredder entering from a secret room and walking towards Karai and Nakumo.

"So, the turtles live." Shredder spoke, before noting Splinter. "As does the rat."

"Surprised?" Splinter asked.

"More than I should be." Shredder replied, scowling. "I may not know how any of you managed to survive our last encounters, but I can assure you, none of you will survive this one!"

"It will take much more than your elite guard to stop me, Saki." Splinter challenged as he walked forward.

"I am well aware of that, 'old friend'." Shredder sneered.

"Sensei, wait." Leo spoke, holding an arm out in front of Splinter. "This is one I need to lead."

"Of course." Splinter replied. "You know what you must do."

Leo nodded as the Foot members took their positions.

"Just say the word, Father." Karai replied.

"Foot...Attack!" Shredder ordered.

With that, the Foot forces charged at the heroes. Splinter leapt over them all towards Shredder, pulling his blade out of his stick as he did so. Shredder extended his claws and brought them up to block Splinter's oncoming strike as he landed. Shredder then shoved Splinter off before trying to take a swipe at him with his claw. Splinter ducked under it before thrusting his blade forward towards Shredder's face. Shredder quickly dodged it and tried stabbing Splinter again, only for the rat to leap out of the way just in time.

"Yet again we find ourselves locked mortal combat, Li." Shredder observed. "Though your persistence to stay alive has proven quite irritating."

"I don't care what atrocities you inflict upon me." Splinter retaliated. "I will not rest until the evils of you and the Kraang are up to rest!"

With that, the two old rivals charged at each other again.

Across the room, Michelangelo found himself doubled down on by both the double blade and axe elites.

"No fair." Mikey whined. "Why do I have to get double trouble?"

Mikey then looked out and saw his brothers not only dealing with their own elites, but Hun, Karai, and Nakumo.

"Oh yeah, everyone else is dealing with a mini boss." Mikey noted.

The axe elite took advantage of Mikey's distraction and kicked him to the ground. As Mikey got back to his feet, he saw that both elites were on either side of him, ready to attack.

"Ok Mikey," he told himself, taking a defensive stance. "Remember what you learned in the forest. Be still and focused."

Mikey then closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. As he was doing that, both elites rushed at him. As they approached him, Mikey's eyes snapped open and he leaped into the air. Mikey then extended his chain and wrapped it around the two elites, tying them together. As Mikey landed, he kicked the two into a nearby torch, which fell on top of them, knocking them out. Mikey then retracted his chain and spun it around a bit before sheathing his weapon smiling.

Donnie didn't have an elite to face. His hands were full enough dealing with Hun. He kept blocking and dodging the behemoth's punches, much to the lummox's amusement.

"Why don't you stand still and let me hit you?" Hun quipped. "Or are you afraid I'll snap you like the twig you are?"

"How's this for a twig?!" Donnie replied, swinging his staff at his head.

Hun quickly grabbed the staff before socking Donnie in the jaw, making him crash into a support beam. Donnie slowly slumped to the ground as Hun came up. Feeling a sense of Deja vu, Donnie got back to his feet and took a fighting stance. As Hun moved in, Donnie grabbed his arms and the two struggled for dominance.

"You've got to be joking." Hun mocked. "I'm twice your size and three times your strength!"

"So...I've… heard!"" Donnie responded before flipping Hun over his shoulder and into the support beam, knocking him out. "But let's just say, I've had a lot of practice fighting you."

Raph meanwhile, was duking it out with the trident elite, batting away his attacks with his sai. Suddenly, the elite pinned him to a wall with his weapon. Nakumo chuckled at the sight as he walked up.

"Keep him still." Nakumo ordered. "I want to savor this."

As Nakumo swung down a sword at Raph, Raph blocked it with the sai in his free hand. Thinking fast, Raph kicked the elite away and pulled out the trident so his hand would be free. He barely had time to react before Nakumo came in and kicked him in the face. Raph stumbled back a bit as Nakumo came up again, dealing one blow after the next. Finally, Raph was knocked back a bit, kneeling on one knee and panting profusely. Looking up and seeing Nakumo slowly coming towards him again, Raph knew just lashing out wouldn't work here. Taking a few deep breaths, he readied his sai as Nakumo stood over him.

"Giving up already?" Nakumo taunted. "And I thought you were the warrior."

Nakumo then brought his swords down, only for them to be caught in Raph's sai. Raph got back to his feet as the two struggled against the others force.

"Don't worry, I am." Raph reassured. "I just needed to focus my temper. I was thinking… at you!"

With that, Raph twisted his sai, effectively snapping Nakumo's swords in two. As Nakumo stumbled back to see his broken hilts, Raph kneed him in the gut before leaping into the air and spin kicking him in the face, taking him out. As Nakumo laid sprawled out on the floor, Raph landed on the ground popping his neck.

"Thanks for letting me vent." he quipped.

Leo meanwhile, was fighting the spear elite as well as Karai. Getting Karai to listen would be tricky enough, but with the added presence of the elite, would make it near impossible. He quickly kicked Karai aside so he could focus on the elite head on. After blocking one of his attacks, he shoved the elite's weapon away before cutting it to pieces with his swords. One last kick took the elite out of commission, just in time for Karai to return trying to swipe at his head. Leo quickly ducked under it as Karai came around and tried swinging at him again.

"Karai wait!" Leo spoke, bringing his sword up to block her attack. "I need to talk to you!"

"Kind of a bad time to try and work things out over tea." Karai quipped, pressing forward.

"This is important!" Leo insisted, rolling out of the way of one of her attacks. "It's about your father!"

"You're not gonna get a chance at the Shredder that easily." Karai informed him, sliding to try and decapitate him.

"But I'm not-"

Before Leo could finish, the ground suddenly began to shake and crack apart. All parties ceased their present conflicts to see the floor in front of Shredder's throne caving in. From the ground below, a large, white robot began to pull itself into the room. It had four arms, each with some rather extreme weaponry, feet reminiscent of the Mouser robots, and a glass dome protecting the head of none other than Baxter Stockman.

"What the…" Donnie let out.

"Baxter Stockman?!" Leo let out, seeing who was inside.

"In the flesh." Stockman confirmed. "So to speak."

"Stockman, you will suffer for your false report of the turtles' demise!" Shredder threatened stepping forward. "However, this new battle armor could allow you to redeem yourself. Destroy the turtles!"

The turtles froze up upon hearing that request. Mikey even gulped in response, but surprisingly, Stockman just seemed to giggle. Said giggle soon developed into a full blown maniacal laughter, surprisingly aimed at the Shredder.

"You fool!" Stockman responded. "I didn't design this suit to help you Shredder, I made it to destroy you! For every humiliation, every punishment that you chose to inflict upon me, I will see to it that you suffer tenfold!"

"Well it seems like Shredder has his hands full." Mikey noted. "How about we just deal with that missile and wrap this up some other time? Say… next Thursday?"

"Stockman," Shredder threatened, pointing a claw at him. "I'll have your head for this!"

"No Shredder, I'll have yours." Stockman rebutted before turning to the turtles. "And as for you miserable reptiles, you four have been a pain in my side for far too long. It's high time someone finally put you freaks out of commission!"

"I don't think they're gonna be letting us out of here that easily." Donnie shared.

"Quite right Donatello." Stockman confirmed aiming one of his arms at him. "In fact, you won't even be leaving here alive!"

With that, Stockman fired several missiles at the group, much to their dismay.

"MISSILES!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Hit the dirt!" Leo ordered as they all scattered.

...

Back at TCRI, Casey and the guardians continued duking it out with Kraang Subprime. Subprime, brought his sawblades down on two guardians swords before pulling back one and going for a horizontal attack. The guardian moved back just in time before the blade made contact. Enraged, subprime brought the blade down on the second guardian's sword, cutting it in half. Casey ran up and took a few swings at him with his stun bat. Finally, subprime grabbed him by the face and lifted him up into the air before punching him in the gut and sending him flying into a door. As he fell to the ground, subprime readied his elbow missiles and fired them at Casey. He quickly dove out of the way before the missiles made contact and blew open a hole in the door leading to the room where April and Fugitoid were. The two flinched at the sudden explosion, both of them getting up from their seats.

"Sewer cakes." April cursed as subprime entered.

"Surrender now!" Subprime ordered. "Or else-"

"Alright, alright." Fugitoid relented, slowly lifting his arms. "I give. I am a pacifist after all."

"Professor," April hissed, lifting her arms as well. "What are you-?"

Suddenly, his arms stretched past subprime and grabbed two discarded Kraang blasters before retracting them.

"But even pacifists need to defend themselves!" he declared before opening fire on subprime.

The Kraang stumbled back as he was bombarded with blaster fire.

"You cheating little android!" Subprime threatened.

"I'm liking you more and more, Professor." April declared, grabbing her tonfas from where she'd left them.

"Why thank you April." Fugitoid replied.

"Donnie, I'm going to have to call you back." April called.

 _"You know, that won't be a problem."_ Donnie replied. _"We kinda have our hands full anyway."_

...

Missiles were flying all across the room, mixing with rapid gunfire. All of these attacks were emanating from a cackling Stockman, who seemed to be enjoying himself a bit too much.

"I admit, I've always felt that first hand execution was beneath me." Stockman shared. "But I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying this suit."

"Well some of us don't need a hi-tech suit to actually get the job done." Karai retorted. "Besides, I don't see you actually taking anyone out with that thing yet."

"Well, we all have our strengths Karai," Stockman replied. "And the night is still young."

While Stockman was talking, Shredder attacked from behind, leaping onto his back and slashing at his dome before leaping off just as Stockman fired at him. As Shredder landed though, the slashes Shredder made seemed to fade away, much to everyone's surprise.

"What?!" Shredder let out.

"A self-healing polymer-acrylic?" Donnie observed. "That's amazing!"

"Isn't it though?" Stockman asked. "I spared no expense. And why would I? Shredder here was the one fitting the bill."

Shredder scowled at that remark.

"I know it must hurt to be played, but you must appreciate the irony of it." Stockman told him. "You made all this possible Shredder, and didn't suspect a thing."

"Indeed I created you." Shredder admitted, readying his claws. "So it is only appropriate that I end you!"

Shredder charged towards Stockman and leapt into the air, only for Stockman to grab him using one of his robotic hands.

"I'm not going to lie, this is gonna feel good."

With that, Stockman chucked Shredder through the air and out a window, sending him plummeting to the streets below. Karai's eyes went wide as she heard the shattering glass.

"Father!" She screamed, instinctively reaching towards the direction he'd fallen.

...

As Shredder fell further to the ground, he quickly stabbed his claw into the wall. This slowed his descent as he came to a nearby window. He shifted his momentum forward before pulling his claw out and falling inside, shattering the window and rolling onto the ground. He grabbed his shoulder in pain as he slowly got to his feet.

...

"It took everything we had and the Sword of Tengu to beat the Shredder last time." Leo said, astonished by what he just saw.

"Yeah, and Stock-Bot just did it without breaking a sweat." Mikey added.

"Stock-Bot?" Raph asked. "Seriously Mikey?"

"Yeah, he was Stockman, and now he's a robot, so-"

"We get it!" Raph interrupted.

"We've got to stop that thing!" Leo declared.

"He's mine." Karai snarled. "Foot! Destroy this machine!"

The Foot Elites moved in towards the towering techno titan. Stockman just laughed as he activated a flamethrower on one of his arms, sending the elite flying back. Thinking quick, Mikey extended his chain and wrapped it around Stockman's legs, much to his amusement.

"Seriously?" he asked. "You plan to stop me with chains? How positively primitive."

Just then, both Leo and Karai ran up and kicked him in the chest, knocking him off balance. Despite his efforts to regain his balance, he fell down the hole he came from, landing with a crash.

"Well, that takes care of that." Mikey remarked as he retracted his chain.

"Now that the freak show is dealt with, I seriously need to talk to you Karai." Leo insisted.

"I'm not in a listening mood, Leonardo!" Karai snapped.

"Karai please." Leo pleaded. "You don't-"

Suddenly, the floor began to shake again.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Karai screamed.

Once again, Stockman rose up from the floor. This time, part of the floor being destroyed was the part that Leo and Karai were standing on. The two fell through the broken floor and down the hole.

"LEO!" the turtles cried out.

"LEONARDO!" Splinter yelled.

...

Leo stabbed his katana into the wall as they fell, slowing his descent considerably. In the process, he also grabbed Karai's wrist, stopping her fall as well. Finally, their descent was halted. He lifted her up to the floor above them before climbing up himself. The two stopped for a minute so they could breathe.

"Are you alright?" Leo asked.

"Yeah.!" Karai replied. "But don't think that I'm gonna go easy on you because you saved my life."

"Karai…" Leo tried to say. "There still something you should know. About your father."

"Don't get your hopes up Leonardo." Karai grumbled. "The Shredder's survived far worse than that maniac."

"Except I'm not talking about the Shredder." Leo told her. "I'm talking about your father. Your true father."

Karai looked over at Leo confused.

"Shredder is my true father." Karai reminded him.

"Except he's not." Leo corrected. "Shredder killed your true father years ago. Hamato Yoshi."

Karai seemed to freeze at the mention of Yoshi's name. She turned to Leo, her face unreadable.

"Hamato Yoshi?" she repeated.

"My masters master." Leo confirmed. "The good man Shredder murdered."

Karai sat there for a good second, then launched at Leo with her tanto drawn, screaming like a madwoman. Leo quickly brought his katana up to block her attack. He continued to block every mad strike she dealt him, but she showed no sign of slowing down.

"How dare you utter that name in front of me!" Karai shouted. "That man murdered my uncle, then he slayed my mother and left me for dead!"

"What?" Leo asked, leaping over another strike. "That's insane! Yoshi would never harm your mother!"

As the two locked blades, Karai grabbed his arm and pulled him in close so she could knee him in the chest.

"Hamato Yoshi's hands were covered in blood." Karai spat. "The day my father slayed that heartless monster, he did this entire world a favor. Now all that remains is eliminating the last of his legacy, starting with you and your Rat Master!"

As Karai brought her sword down, Leo brought his sword up to block it.

"Don't you get it Karai, Shredder's lying to you!" Leo insisted. "He's the murderer! He's the heartless monster!"

"Shut up!" Karai demanded.

Leo quickly shoved her off so he could get back to his feet. Karai ran at him again and the two resumed trading blow for blow. As the two locked blades again, Leo kicked Karai in the stomach, sending her into a nearby pillar. As Karai got up, she looked up to see Leo pointing a blade at her chest.

"I'm not lying Karai." Leo told her. "Hamato Yoshi is your father, and he and Splinter would never hurt an innocent."

Karai knocked his blade back before rushing toward him. Leo quickly did a palm strike at her, sending her back into the pillar and hitting her head, knocking her out cold. Leo just put his sword away as she slumped to the ground.

"I just hope you'll believe me one day." Leo lamented before running off.

...

Back up top, Stockman continued firing at everyone, cackling gleefully as he did so.

"How the shell are we gonna stop that thing?!" Raph asked.

"I think I have an idea." Donnie shared. "Mikey, give me some cover."

"You got it Don!" Mikey replied.

Mikey then chucked several smoke bombs into Stockman's face, causing him to go blind for a moment. Donnie used this opportunity to leap towards him and use the blade on his staff to cut off one of his cannons.

"My robotic arm! No!" he exclaimed before regaining his composure. "No matter. Just… a momentary setback. My backup systems should-"

Before he could finish, Splinter dashed forward, cutting off one of his legs as he did so. As Stockman struggled to achieve balance, Raph and Mikey ran up and kicked Stockman in the chest, causing him to topple back and out one of the windows.

"JUST A MINOR SET BAAAAACK!" Stockman cried as he fell through the air and crashed to the ground.

"You know, I'm gonna miss that guy." Mikey admitted. "In an I-really-hope-I-never-see-him-again kind of way."

"Come on," Raph addressed. "We still got a job to do."

Before they could take off, Stockman came crashing through another window, this time on a jetpack attached to his suit.

"Internal jetpack array." Stockman informed. "Never exact your revenge without it."

"Ok, this guy is really starting to get annoying." Raph remarked.

"You mean he wasn't already?" Mikey joked.

"There has to be a way to take him down for good." Raph growled.

"I think I found one." Donnie shared. "Those seem to be power cells on his back. If we take those down-"

"Then Humpty Dumpty goes tumbling down." Raph finished.

"Donatello, Michelangelo, draw his fire!" Splinter ordered. "Raphael, with me!"

Donnie and Mikey then dashed out into the room, drawing Stockman's fire while Raph and Splinter made their way behind him.

"You simple minded simpletons cannot hope to defeat me!" Stockman boasted. "I, Dr. Baxter Stockman shall-

Before he could finish, Raph and Splinter leapt up and cut the cables connecting him to his power source. As the two landed, Stockman crashed to the ground, seemingly terminated.

"That, seemed to have done it." Splinter observed.

"Shut him down and shut him up." Raph quipped.

Then, Stockman got back up, still as arrogant and insane as before.

"Oh come on!" Mikey complained. "Stock-Bot is way too OP!"

"Would you stop calling him that?!" Raph insisted. "That's a stupid name!"

"This guy's unstoppable." Donnie observed.

"Do not lose faith my sons." Splinter told them. "We are not the first ninjas to fight men in armor."

"Yeah, but not high tech battle armor." Mikey reminded.

"Whether it is just covering or loaded with weapons, it does not matter." Splinter continued. "They knew that to win, you do not fight the armor, you fight the man inside."

"Except Shredder tried that." Mikey recalled. "Didn't work."

"Maybe we can get Stockman to talk himself to death." Raph suggested.

Donnie suddenly perked up. Raph's choice of words had given him an idea.

"Raph, you are a genius." he complimented before stepping forward. "Stockman wait!"

Stock-bot pauses, turning towards the purple turtle.

"We give up!" Donnie told him. "We have come to realize we are no match for someone of your superior intellect."

"We do?" Mikey asked, earning an elbow from Raph.

"Well this is refreshing." Stockman admitted. "Most people can never seem to wrap their insignificant minds around my superior intellect.

"I can't imagine why." Donnie told him. "This battle suit is a thing of beauty. The servo mechanics, the weaponry, the durability! It's commendable. I assume that since we cut your power you have a backup system installed."

"I took it one step further than that, my boy." Stockman gloated. "In addition to the main power cells, each of my robot components has its own backup power source."

"So if a component were disconnected from the main server, it could still function?" Donnie asked.

"Naturally." Stockman confirmed.

"So, by that logic," Donnie continued, walking over to the fallen cannon. "This arm should still be fully functional, right?"

For a moment, Stockman was about to continue his gloating, until the realization of what had just happened finally struck him.

"Oh crud." he let out.

"Fire in the hole!" Donnie cried out, firing the cannon.

The cannon fired and blasted Stockman, launching him into the air screaming.

...

As Leo ran through the building, Leo looked out a nearby window and saw Stockman flying through the air before exploding.

"Finally." Leo let out. "What does it take to stop that guy?"

"I have asked myself that question many times." Shredder commented, walking out of the shadows and getting Leo's attention. "Most recently though, about you."

Leo quickly drew his swords in response.

"You're not going to walk away from this one Shredder." Leo threatened. "This ends here!"

"I have come too far to be deterred by idle threats, turtle!" Shredder retorted, extending his claws.

With that, the two warriors charged at each other, ready for the coming battle before them.

...

Back up top, the turtles and Splinter were still marveling at Stockman's fiery exit.

"Did we get him?" Mikey asked. "Did we finally get him this time?"

"I believe so Mikey." Donnie answered.

"If that is the case, then we need to do what we came here to do." Splinter told them.

"You're not going anywhere freaks." Hun replied, as he, Nakumo, and the elites got in the way.

Just then, a few stray Kraang droids flew into the room, all of which were destroyed and ripped apart. They all looked up to see Leatherhead tearing into the room and charging towards Hun. Before Hun could react, Leatherhead picked him up and threw him into a column.

"First a bunch of turtles and now a freakin alligator?" Hun let out. "It's a freak show!"

"Look in a mirror sometime, Hun!" Raph shouted.

Leatherhead then ran up to Hun and struck him in the gut, causing him to skid back a bit. Hun quickly responded by upper cutting Leatherhead in the jaw and bringing both his fists down on his head. All Hun succeeded in however, was ticking him off. Fully enraged, Leatherhead grabbed Hun legs and lifted him into the air before slamming him into the floor. Leatherhead repeated this a few times before throwing him through the air and into Shredder's throne. The throne shattered to pieces as Hun fell unconscious.

"Way to go LH!" Mikey cheered.

Leatherhead turned towards Mikey and smiled as Utroms and guardians poured inside.

"We will do what we can down here." The Guardian declared. "You must get to the missile!"

Just then, a part of the wall blew open, and several Kraang droids entered into the room. As the last of them poured in, Kraang Prime entered as well, with his eyes fixated on the Utroms.

"Well, well." Kraang Prime let out. "Enemies and Freaks all in one place. This is certainly a day that will go down in Kraang history

"We'll see about that." Raph retorted.

"We will hold off the Kraang and the Foot." Mortu responded. "Go! Now!"

"I will stay and aid you, my friends." Splinter added.

The turtles nodded as they headed towards one of the windows and burst through it, heading outside.

"Stop them!" Nakumo ordered of the elites.

The elites disappeared in a puff of smoke as Nakumo went towards the Guardian and the two clashed blades. Splinter quickly dashed across the battleground, slashing through one Kraang droid after another and avoiding the rampant blaster fire. At the center of it all Mortu came face to face with Kraang Prime.

"Ah Mortu," Kraang Prime addressed. "At last, our ten century struggle ends now."

"I'm surprised that with your 'genius' it took you a thousand years to find us." Mortu taunted.

Growling in rage, Kraang Prime charged at Mortu. Mortu quickly leapt over Kraang Prime and quickly spun around to kick him in the back, causing him to stumble back.

"Subprime!" Kraang Prime communicated. "Come in Subprime! I need you!"

...

Back at TCRI, Subprime was still duking it out with the guardians, April, Casey, and Fugitoid. April's tonfas bashed Kraang left, right and center, leaving the one-eyed Kraang ripe for Casey's hockey sticks. A quick strike from a hockey stick sent Subprime stumbling back and primed for a sword strike from a guardian.

 _"Subprime!"_ Kraang Prime repeated. _"Respond!"_

"Your Kraanginess." Subprime finally responded. "Kinda in the middle of something here."

 _"Enough!"_ Prime cut off. _"Mortu is here! As well as the turtles. I need you here to destroy them!"_

"I guess you don't know how to say please." Subprime grumbled.

 _"No, but I do know how to say, NOW!"_

"Ok, I'm on my way." Subprime responded before turning back to the heroes. "Sorry to cut this short, but I have another appointment."

He then aimed another one of his elbow missiles at them and fired at them. Everyone quickly dove out of the way before the missile hit and exploded. Subprime activated rocket boots on his feet and rocketed out of room. Everyone slowly got up to see that the room was Kraang free.

"Everyone ok?" Casey asked.

"I'm alright, Casey." April let out.

"Quite well Mr. Jones." Fugitoid responded.

"Guess we should let the guys know that ugly is on his way." Casey suggested as they got to his feet.

"Unfortunately, Subprime killed communications." April pointed out, gesturing to the now fried computer.

"It would seem our friends are on their own now." Fugitoid remarked.


	43. Battle for New York Part 4

_This is Leonardo, and today has probably been our toughest battle yet._

 _When we agreed to storm Foot Headquarters, and put an end to the Kraang and the Shredder once and for all, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. We've had to face the very worst the two could throw at us. From high tech weaponry and mutant clones, to old enemies like Tokka and Rahzar, and Bebop and Rocksteady. Not to mention that fruitcake Baxter Stockman, who had transformed himself into some kind of cyborg._

 _One of the hardest tasks however, Splinter bestowed on me personally. Convincing Karai that Karai's true father is Hamato Yoshi, my master's master. She was… a little apprehensive to say the least. She's convinced that master Yoshi killed her mother, no doubt due to a lifetime of Shredder's lies._

 _And, to top it all off, I am about to face the Shredder alone. Head on. And I can tell you, this is not gonna be easy._

...

Inside the headquarters of the Foot, a few floors below the top, Leonardo was in the fight of his life. He and the Shredder had both landed on the same floor and had engaged in a heated duel. At the moment, Leo was on the defensive with Shredder unleashing one deadly claw slash after another. Thinking quick, Leo ducked under one slash, upper cutting Shredder with the hilts of his swords, causing him to stumble back a bit. Leo quickly kicked him the chest, sending him skidding back. Leo quickly ran forward and leapt towards him. Shredder quickly stepped out of the way and grabbed Leo by the tails of his mask, quickly throwing him forward and sending him tumbling on the ground. Leo quickly got to his feet as Shredder came forward.

"You are quite an admirable warrior, Leonardo." Shredder complimented. "It is… unfortunate you did not join me when you were offered the chance. You could have served me well."

Enraged by his words, Leo quickly jumped in the air and performed a spin kick to his head, knocking him back. Shredder slowly got up to see Leo landing on the ground.

"I will never serve you!" Leo declared. "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees, especially in front of you!"

"So be it." Shredder declared. "You will share the fate of all my enemies, death!"

With that, the two charged towards each other, determined to come out on top over the other.

…

Donnie, Raph, and Mikey made their way across the Japanese garden that graced the top of the building.

"How do we get to the missile Don?" Raph asked.

"There should be an entrance hatch around here somewhere." Donnie responded.

"But where?" Mikey asked.

Just then, four puffs of smoke appeared, revealing the Foot elites surrounding them.

"Aw, give me a break." Mikey whined.

The elites readied their weapons, except for the spear elite, who had his weapon destroyed by Leo, and was forced to go hand to hand. He was first to strike, but Raph grabbed his fist as Donnie ran towards him and smacked him across the face with his staff. The axe elite came up from behind and tried to strike him, but he brought his staff up just in time. Mikey then wrapped his chain around his weapon and pulled hard, causing the flat side of the axe to hit him in the face. Donnie took the opportunity to sweep his legs out from under him, knocking him out. Raph then ran towards the trident elite and leapt into the air, locking the elite's weapon in his sai as he kicked him into a pillar nearby. Mikey was bouncing out of the way of the double blade elites strikes before launching his chain at his feet. As Mikey landed, he pulled on the chain, causing the elite to fall to the ground. He then flipped through the air before landing on the elite's chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Mikey then got off the elite and retracted his chain. As the turtles reconvened, Donnie noted the pillar the trident elite crashed into. Curious, he went over to it and saw some kind of control panel on it.

"What is it Don?" Raph asked, walking over to him.

"I don't know for certain, but…" Donnie replied as he continued to press buttons on the panel.

Suddenly, part of the ground started rumbling. Mikey looked down and saw that the ground he was standing on was moving. He quickly jumped off it as the panel opened up to reveal some kind of staircase below.

"What do you want to bet that leads to a Mutagen Missile?" Raph remarked.

"Come on," Donnie motioned. "Who knows how much time is left before launch!"

The turtles then bolted downstairs, determined to dismantle the weapon.

…

Back inside the throne room, the massive battle between the Kraang and the heroes was still going on. Splinter was engaged in a fierce battle with Nakumo. The two warriors continued to clash in hand to hand, with neither showing any sign of fatigue. Quickly, Splinter kicked Nakumo in the stomach, sending him tumbling back.

"You have skills, rodent." Nakumo admitted, getting back on his feet. "But hardly enough to save you."

"Then let us see if you are worthy of being the Shredder's chunin!" Splinter declared.

Moving fast, Nakumo pulled out a Kusarigama from his belt and launched the chain at Splinter. Eying his discarded walking stick, Splinter kicked it up to his hand and held it up to that the chain would wrap around it. Nakumo continued pulling on the chain, trying to bring Splinter in close. Thinking fast, Splinter released the stick, letting it fly through the air and hit Nakumo in the face. As Nakumo stumbled back in pain, Splinter ran forward and flipped through the air, landing on the ground behind him and grabbing his stick. He then spun around and bashed Nakumo across the face with it, knocking him to the ground.

Across the room, Mortu and Kraang Prime were still duking it out. During the fight, Kraang Prime peered out the window and saw the turtles entering into the missile silo, much to his frustration.

"No!" Kraang Prime exclaimed, extending his hand towards Mortu and slamming him into a wall.

Kraang Prime then threw Mortu aside before retracting his arm and chasing after the turtles. Mortu slowly got back to his feet and saw his old enemy taking off after his new friends.

"No…" he let out, "Guardians! We must stop Kraang Prime from reaching the turtles!"

Just then, one of the windows blew open, and Kraang Subprime rocketed inside.

"You'll go nowhere!" he declared, launching several missiles at them.

The guardians, Mortu, Splinter, and Leatherhead all scattered out of the way of the missiles, narrowly avoiding being blown up. Recovering, Leatherhead quickly leapt up into the air and bit down on his leg, dragging him down as he fell and slamming him to the ground.

"Go!" Splinter told them. "I will stay with Leatherhead and help him defeat this foe! We will join you as soon as we can!"

Mortu nodded as he and the guardians went after Kraang Prime, leaving Splinter and Leatherhead to duke it out with Subprime, who was looking more infuriated than ever.

…

Back down below, Leo quickly back flipped out of the way of one of Shredder's claw strikes as they came out to a massive hallway dotted with columns and a large glass window leading out to a balcony. Shredder then sprinted towards Leo, continuously slashing at him. Leo did his best to block and evade every strike the bladed villain dealt him. As Shredder brought one claw down, Leo held his swords in an "X" formation to block it. Shredder then brought his other claw up from under the swords, knocking them both out of his hands and sending them sliding to opposite parts of the hallway.

"Fool!" Shredder taunted. "Did you really think you could best a ninja master?!"

"The thought had crossed my mind." Leo remarked as he leapt out of the way of another claw strike.

He then landed on his hands before pushing himself back to his feet and landing behind a column. Knowing Shredder was closing in quick, he pulled out some shruiken from his belt. He then came out from behind the column and started throwing them at him one by one. Shredder brought used his gauntlets to block them, but one conked him in the head, causing him to stumble back as he groaned in pain. Leo then ducked back behind the column, looking to take stock of his shruiken.

"Only three…" Leo observed. "Better make it count."

Leo then came back out ready to continue the fight, only to find Shredder was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh?" Leo let out.

As Leo looked around, a hand suddenly wrapped around his neck. Leo then saw it was Shredder strangling him and lifting him into the air with one hand. With his other hand, Shredder punched him, sending him flying across the hallway and tumbling on the ground as he landed. As Leo regained his senses, he saw Shredder standing over him with his claw drawn back.

"I expected more from a student of Splinter." Shredder taunted.

As he brought it down towards him, Leo quickly rolled out of the way, causing Shredder to stab the ground.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Leo retorted as he kicked Shredder's gauntlet, causing the blades of the claw to break off.

Leo then kicked Shredder in the chest, sending him stumbling back, while he moved over to one of his discarded swords and picked it up. As Leo tried to bring his sword down on him, Shredder brought his other claw up to block it. Shredder then shoved him off and tried stabbing at him. Leo quickly dodged the strike and took a swing at Shredder's gauntlet, slicing it off. As Shredder backed off to see that his weapons were disposed of, Leo ran up and tried to swing his sword down on him. To his surprise however, Shredder was able to catch the blade in his hands. Before Leo could properly react to this, Shredder kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying towards the large window and leaving the sword in Shredder's hands. As Leo regained his composure, he saw Shredder toss the blade into the air and catch it by the hilt.

"While I prefer my traditional claws," Shredder told him. "I must admit, there is something satisfying about slaying an opponent with his own blade."

Leo saw his other blade laying on the ground nearby as Shredder began moving towards him. He quickly grabbed it and swung it at him, only for Shredder to block it with his own blade.

"I'm not gonna go down that easily, Shredder." Leo told him.

"Neither will I." Shredder declared shoving him off.

With that, the two opponents clashed blades again, set to end the fight once and for all.

…

Back in the throne room, Leatherhead and Splinter were still duking it out with Kraang Subprime. Leatherhead ran towards Subprime as he tried bringing down his hand saws. Leatherhead caught the arms before they could make contact and the two struggled for control. Subprime finally pulled an arm free and launched a missile and the mutant crocodile, sending him flying back. Splinter moved in towards him, dodging around the oncoming missile fire. As Splinter leapt towards him with his blade drawn back, Kraang Subprime grabbed him by the arm and threw him against the wall. As Splinter landed, Subprime continued walking towards him, snapping his blade in his hands.

"Now I have you cornered, you monstrous rat!" Subprime taunted.

"Corner a rat, and see what happens!" Splinter retorted.

Subprime continued slicing at Splinter, but the rat Sensei dodged around them. After dodging one other blade, Splinter grabbed the second arm and brought it's blade down on the first one, slicing it off. Subprime cried out in irritation. Before he could react however, Leatherhead came up and grabbed the top half of his body, tearing it off. He then spun around and smacked what was left of his body with his tail. The legs fell to the ground and Subprime tumbled out, turning towards the two mutants in irritation.

"Do not think you have won here!" he told them. "You and your kind will be destroyed! Kraang will-"

Before he could finish, part of the ceiling came off and fell on top of him, knocking him out. While they were glad for that particular battle to be over, they knew they were far from done.

"Mortu and your sons still need us." Leatherhead reminded.

"Then let us hurry!" Splinter declared as the two ran off.

…

Inside the missile silo, the turtles continued running through the long corridor until they finally reached the missile.

"Whoa..." Mikey let out.

"That's a lot of mutagen." Donnie remarked nervously.

"So how do we stop that thing?" Raph asked.

"Easy," Donnie responded. "I hack into the missile's guidance systems and change its coordinates to somewhere it can't do any harm."

"How do you do that?" Mikey questioned.

"By breaking into the missile itself." Donnie lamented.

"I think not!" Kraang Prime declared, walking into the room.

The turtles all turned around in surprise to see the large robot body before them.

"The Kraang have come too far to lose to the likes of you, repulsive mutants!" he declared.

"At least we're not stupid aliens!" Mikey retorted.

With that, the three turtles charged at the alien leader. He quickly swatted Mikey and Raph aside before shooting his fist out at Donnie, grabbing him and brought him in close before slamming him into the ground. Before Kraang Prime could do anything else, Mortu ran up and kicked Kraang Prime in the back, knocking him down and releasing Donnie from his grip. As Kraang Prime got back up, he saw the turtles regrouping, with Mortu behind them.

"It's over Kraang." Mortu declared.

"You're right." Kraang Prime agreed.

The eyes on the head of his body opened up, and missiles launched from them towards Mortu and the turtles.

"Eye missiles!" Mikey exclaimed. "Look out!"

The turtles scattered to avoid getting hit, but a stray missile hit Mortu in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. At that moment, the guardians arrived to aid their master.

"Protect Mr. Mortu!" the Guardian ordered.

As the guardians ran forward, Kraang Primes hands retracted and in their place, axes came out. As the guardians swung their swords, Kraang Prime blocked them with his axes and shoved them off. The guardians continued trying to strike at Kraang Prime, and Kraang Prime kept blocking their attacks. While that was going on, Splinter and Leatherhead finally arrived to join in the fray. Leatherhead immediately charged at Kraang Prime catching his two axes in his arms. While the two struggled for dominance, the Guardian came up from behind and slashed Kraang Prime in the back, causing him to cry out. He shoved Leatherhead off and quickly spun around, knocking the Guardian aside. Eying the electricity emitting from the gash on Kraang Primes back, Donnie had an idea.

"Guys, use your weapons to penetrate his exoskeleton!" he instructed. "I have an idea that might stop him for good!"

"Crack him open?" Raph responded. "Now you're talking!"

With that, Raph threw his sai at Kraang Prime. One embedded itself in the body's eye, the other in its shoulder. As the Guardian slowly got up, he looked down at his sword before turning towards Splinter.

"Splinter!" he called out, tossing his sword towards him.

Without even looking, Splinter caught the sword. He then immediately leapt at Kraang Prime, embedding the sword in the robot body's chest. Two more guardians run by and jam their swords into his legs.

"Mikey, throw your chain around him!" Donnie told his brother. "Blade end first!"

"You got it, D!" Mikey replied, spinning his chain,

He then threw the chain around Kraang Prime, causing it to wrap around him until the blade end stabbed at the neck. At this point, Kraang Prime was covered with weapons, and electricity was coming from every crack.

"Fools!" Kraang Prime let out. "I… am the greatest conquer… in all the ten dimensions! You cannot… defeat me!"

"Don't be so sure!" Donnie replied, activating the taser setting on his staff.

Mikey quickly let go of the chain before Donnie jammed the taser onto it, sending electricity coursing through it towards Kraang Prime. The voltage coursed through his entire body, even zapping Kraang Prime himself, causing him to cry out in pain. After the electricity finally died, the body just dropped to the floor. Kraang Prime was just barely able to pull himself out of the broken body as the heroes surrounded him.

"My body." he lamented. "My beautiful body."

"So much for the greatest conquer in all the ten dimensions." Mikey teased.

"He ain't so tough now." Raph remarked. "Let's just squish him."

Kraang Prime responded by leaping onto Raph's face, causing the red turtle to flail around while trying to pull him off. Donnie eventually came up and used his staff to whack Kraang Prime off his head, sending him colliding with a wall and slowly sliding to the ground.

"Thanks." Raph replied, rubbing his cheek.

Just then, a loud alarm started blaring, and a low rumbling sound emanated from the missile. The heroes all turned to see the missile starting to launch. Thinking fast, Donnie ran towards the missile and jumped onto it as it took off. He let out a scream of panic as he rocketed out of the building, much to the dismay of the others.

"Donnie!" the turtles cried out.

"Donatello!" Splinter yelled.

"Come on!" Raph called as he and Mikey ran back outside.

…

Back in the hallway, the two combatants continued clashing blades. Leo was almost surprised by the speed and skill Shredder possessed with his sword. Having never seen the monster of a man fight with anything more than his clawed gauntlets, Leo was ill-prepared for dealing with Shredder's aggressive style of swordsmanship.

He blocked a low strike and the two locked blades. Thinking fast, Leo pulled his sword back and struck Shredder in the head with its hilt. Shredder stumbled back a bit before Leo took advantage of his delirium to run at him and leap into the air, kicking him. The kick sent him crashing through the window and out onto the balcony, where he landed on his back. As he slowly got up, he saw Leo running towards him. As Leo jumped at him again, Shredder leaned back and caught Leo in his feet before rolling over and springing him off. As Shredder got back to his feet, he spun around and Leo tumble onto the ground a bit before springing back to his feet and readying himself in a fighting stance.

"Master Splinter told me what you did to Karai!" Leo told him. "How could you do something like that?!"

"You honestly expected me to just stand by and allow her to be raised by murderous scum like Hamato Yoshi?!" Shredder retorted.

"So is that all she is to you?" Leo responded. "Just a means for your stupid revenge?!"

"Actually I've grown quite fond of her during our time together." Shredder admitted. "Perhaps I will allow her to slay your brothers, once I have severed your head from your body."

"You can try, tin man!" Leo declared.

The two charged at each other again, each attempting to bring their blades down on each other. The blades collided with a mighty clash.

…

Back on top of the building, Raph and Mikey made it outside to see the missile still rocketing into the air with their brother still on it.

"How are we gonna get him now?" Mikey let out

As if on cue, a laser blast hit right next to where they were standing, causing them to jump. The two looked up and saw some Foot Ninjas on the same kind of razor jet's that Raph had used in the weapons room not too long ago. This gave Raph an idea.

"Aw, great." Mikey let out. "Now these guys are in our way?"

"No, they're our way up!" Raph declared running forward.

Raph then jumped up and kicked a ninja of one of the jets. He then got up and drove it towards Mikey.

"Come on!" Raph yelled, holding out his hand.

Mikey grabbed it and Raph pulled him up. The two then rocketed after Donnie, with the other razor jets in pursuit.

…

On the missile, Donnie was clinging on for dear life as he rocketed through the air. He then grabbed one of the panels on the missile and pulled it off, beginning to work hacking into the guidance system.

"Alright, changing course to the heart of the sun." Donnie said to himself.

His grip slipped a bit, causing him to panic, but he quickly pulled himself back up and got back to work. With a final few key strikes, the missile began shifting directions. The missile was changing its course.

"YES!" Donnie exclaimed before looking down. "Now to figure out how to get down."

"Hey brainiac!" Raph's voice shouted. "Need a lift?!"

Donnie glanced down, seeing Raph and Mikey speeding towards him on a razor jet, a few more on their tails. Donnie smiled and dropped off the missile towards his brothers. He tried aiming for his jet but missed, much to their horror. Thinking fast, Donnie aimed towards one of the other jets and landed on it. As expected, the ninja riding it attempted to force him to dismount. While the two were fighting for control over the jet, Raph and Mikey flew alongside them. Donnie saw this and quickly head butted the ninja before jumping onto his brothers' jet. Raph then blasted the jet, causing it to fly out of control. The ninja bailed out of the jet and parachuted away as the turtles flew back to the building.

"Hope that doesn't land anywhere important." Mikey voiced.

…

On the balcony, Leo and Shredder continued to clash blades, neither one giving any leeway to the other. After blocking one blade strike, Shredder aimed the sword down before kicking Leo in the head. He then backhanded him in the face, knocking him to the ground. As Shredder walked over to him, he kicked the blade aside and aimed his own sword at Leo's face.

"And now…" he told him, "You die."

Before Shredder could bring the blade down, the two heard something coming from above them. The two looked up to see the jet crashing towards them and moved out of the way towards opposite ends of the balcony before it crashed. Leo quickly reclaimed his sword and he and Shredder stared each other down.

The moment was intense. Each combatant was eyeing the other waiting for their move. Both gripped their swords tightly, just waiting for the moment to strike. Finally, Shredder leapt towards him, Leo followed suit. The two cried out as they leapt into the air, each one determined to end the other.

Finally, the two clashed midair.

The two landed on opposite ends of the balcony, Shredder standing straight and Leo kneeling over, clutching a shoulder wound. Leo looked over to see Shredder still standing there before his helmet fell off... with his head inside. The helmet bounced on the ground a bit before landing in a corner. The body dropped the sword before kneeling over and falling flat on the ground.

Leo got back to his feet and walked over to the deceased villain, reclaiming his sword and standing over his enemy, victorious.

…

Back up top, the turtles had just finished blasting the remaining jets as they landed on the roof. As they clambered off of the jet, they were greeted by Master Splinter, who held his arms out openly for them.

"My sons!"

"Sensei!" they all let out.

"Well done turtles." Mortu commended. "We can't thank you enough for your efforts today."

As Mortu said this, Leo pulled himself up onto the roof, grunting slightly from exhaustion and pain. Mikey was the first to spot him, his eyes going wide.

"LEO!" He exclaimed.

"Bout time Leo." Raph remarked. "We've been busy saving the world while you were busy looking for a stair-"

Before he could finish, Leo held up something that shut them all up, Shredder's helmet. Seeing the red stains along the bottom part of it, they all knew that it could only mean one thing.

"The Shredder...is finished." Leo declared, dropping the helmet and lowering his arm.

"Whoa." Raph let out.

"You have done well my son." Splinter commended, beaming with pride. "All of you have tonight."

"Thank you Sensei." Leo replied, bowing in respect.

"So, can we be done now?" Mikey asked. "It's been a long week."

"Soon Mikey." Leo reassured. "We still got a lot of cleaning up to do."

"First think is to make sure the Foot and the Kraang can never use this place for anything ever again." Raph added.

"I think I can see to that." Donnie declared, marching over to the discarded metal arm left behind from Stock-bot's body. "Seems Stockman's not without some uses. Hooking this up to the power grid, given enough of a charge, should fry most of the tech in this building."

"Then do it, Donatello." Mortu insisted.

Donnie nodded and hooked the arm up to the power grid. He then took out his staff, charging the power cells inside the arm and transferring that power to the building. The entire building lit up with power, seemingly overloading all the systems inside the building and reducing them to useless bits of scrap metal and wires. As a final display, all of the lights on the building flickered off, officially frying the building.

"Nothing more satisfying than sticking it to the bad guys." Mikey remarked.

"You said it Mikey." Leo replied. "You said it."

…

From the roof of TCRI, the turtles watched as the crystal walls around New York were brought down by the Utrom's forces. Mortu walked up to them, a smile on both his human face, and his actual one.

"The remaining Kraang forces have scattered." He told them. "While they will be a problem for a while, their threat has been greatly diminished. Without Kraang Prime to lead them, they'll be directionless."

"So where is Kraang Prime now?" Donnie asked.

"In one of our containment cells." Mortu answered. "We'll soon bring him back to our home world to stand trial for his crimes."

"The Utrom Home world doesn't happen to have the death penalty, does it?" Raph asked.

This earned him a glare from his other brothers, as well as Splinter.

"What?!" he let out.

"I assure you, Kraang Prime will pay for his crimes to the full extent of the law."

"That will be good enough for us." Leo responded.

…

Later on inside the transmat room, the turtles, Splinter, April, Casey, Fugitoid, and Leatherhead all gathered to see several Utroms and guardians piling onto the transmat device. A group of which was carrying Kraang Prime in a specialized glass case so he couldn't corrupt any more Utroms.

"That should be everyone." Mortu noted. "Leatherhead, will you be joining us as well?"

"No." Leatherhead replied, shaking his head. "I wish to remain here with my friends. I have been away from them for far too long."

The turtles all smiled at the prospect of Leatherhead staying around.

"Of course." Mortu allowed. "What about you Professor?"

"Me?" Fugitoid questioned.

"After all your help in our victory over the Kraang, we would be more than willing to grant you asylum on our world." Mortu told him.

"A chance to work with truly benevolent beings for the betterment of all life?" He mused, and from his tone, he would have been smiling if he had the capacity to do so. "How can I refuse?"

"Looks like you get to live the dream after all Professor." Donnie remarked.

"In no small part to you my friends." Fugitoid told him. "I will miss you all."

"We made something for you." Mikey shared, giving him a CD. "It's a compilation of Earth culture. Thought you might enjoy it."

"I'll treasure it always." Fugitoid told them.

"It has been an honor to know you, and your race Mortu-san." Splinter said to the Utrom leader.

"The honor is ours." Mortu told him. "Your master would be proud of the man you've become today."

While they were talking, an Utrom came in and handed Mortu an orb from the Oracle Chamber.

"Before we leave, we have one last gift for you." he said, handing Splinter the orb.

Splinter took the orb from Mortu, slightly confused. His confusion soon changed to awe as the world seemed to shift around him, becoming a peaceful, spring landscape. Cherry trees were everywhere, the petals falling like snow all around, and in the middle of this landscape was a lone man.

The man was middle age, black hair cut short and a clean shaven face. He wore a simple martial artist's uniform, and appeared to be performing katas beneath the trees. It was a man Splinter recognized instantly, a tear rolling down his snout as he stared.

"M-Master Yoshi?" he let out.

The man paused mid-kata, turning to Splinter. He slid out of his stance, giving the rat a warm smile.

"How you've grown, Li." Yoshi said.

All around Splinter, Mortu's voice echoed across the landscape.

"Hamato Yoshi was one of the best Guardians we could have ever asked for, and his memory lives on in our archives."

"I… I can't believe it." Splinter shared. "I never imagined seeing you again."

"Nor did I imagine my pupil as a rat." Yoshi replied, walking up to Splinter with a playful smirk before it faded somewhat as his hand drifted to Splinter's missing ear. "I am sorry I was not there to prevent this."

"I am the one who should be sorry." Splinter told him. "A student's duty is to protect his Sensei."

"We both did all that we could that day." Yoshi reassured. "And you have done well for yourself in my absence. You should be very proud of yourself, and the wonderful sons you have raised."

"Yes, a father could not be more proud." Splinter replied.

The two bowed to one another as the image faded, returning Splinter to the real world. He wiped his eyes, smiling as he did so.

"The orb is yours to keep." Mortu informed him.

"This is… a greater gift then I could ever imagine." Splinter told him. "Thank you."

"Of course." Mortu replied. "Now we must be off. Donatello, if you would do me the honor of firing up the transmat."

"Sweet!" Donnie let out heading over to the controls. "I'm all over it."

Donnie pressed a few keys and the transmat began to activate. Mortu, the Guardian, and the Professor all walked onto the transmat as it began the process.

"Goodbye my friends!" The Professor called out with a wave.

"We shall meet again." the Guardian reassured.

With that, the party was beamed out of the building and out into the far reaches of space.

"So… what now?" Mikey asked. "Our enemies are gone, for good this time."

"There will always be someone to try and take their place." Raph pointed out. "And we'll still need to deal with the last of the Kraang."

"For now though, we need a new place to live." Donnie reminded. "And the farmhouse is a 'bit' of a commute to the city."

"You guys can stay at my place until you get settled." Casey offered.

"The offer is greatly appreciated, Mr. Jones." Splinter informed him.

"Just make sure to call your mom and make sure it's okay." Mikey joked, ribbing Casey with his elbow.

As they all walked out of TCRI, Leo fell back a bit, his mind elsewhere. Splinter noticed this and joined up with him.

"Why so melancholy Leonardo?" Splinter asked. "We achieved great victory as of late, and you ended the Shredder's reign of evil."

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "But I also ended any chance of getting Karai on our side. You should have heard her Sensei, she hates you and Master Yoshi. She… she thinks Master Yoshi killed her mother."

Splinter sighed.

"I feared as much." he admitted. "The lies of the Shredder run deep, and he has had years to sow the seeds of hatred within her."

"What do we do now?" Leo asked.

"Hope that somehow, we can get through to her." Splinter told him. "Though after everything that has transpired, that may prove more challenging than ever."

…

Karai's head was pounding as she slowly sat up, rubbing the welt from where Leo had struck her. When her thoughts drifted to the blue-clad turtle, her eyes flew open and she jumped to her feet. Much to her surprise, she found herself completely alone.

"Hello?" she called out, slowly climbing out of the hole she'd been stuck in. "Father?"

She looked around at the devastation, the sparking electronics and the slowly dying fires.

"Anybody?!" she shouted.

She continued her desperate search, growing ever more desperate. Then, her foot connected with something metal. She looked down, her face turning pale as she found herself staring at the bloody Kuro Kabuto. She fell to her knees, picking it up as angry tears filled her eyes.

"FATHER!"

…

 **How's that for an epic conclusion. Just a heads up, I will be taking a short hiatus from this story, just to touch up some grammar in some of the past chapters and give some love to my other storied. Don't worry I won't abandon it. I will return in time and trust me if you thought the story was wild before, you haven't seen anything yet.**


	44. Notes From The Underground

_Hey everybody, Michelangelo here. Sorry it's been a while, my bros and I have been pretty busy. Alien invasions, vision quests, gladiatorial arenas, and massive ninja battles really takes a lot out of you. Luckily, it was all worth it. The Kraang have been defeated, Shredder is dead, and our family is finally reunited once more._

 _Unfortunately, we still have one problem. Our lair was trashed by the Foot Ninja, leaving us homeless for the time being. And believe you me, house hunting in the NYC sewers is a rather dangerous business, especially for us mutant turtles. Especially when it's crawling with huge, scary, possibly carnivorous mutant monsters!_

 _Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the sewers…_

…

The turtles had settled into living at Casey's apartment pretty well. While a bit pungent for Splinter's taste, it was the best that they could get at the moment. April however, had found lodging elsewhere. She'd ended up crashing at a co-worker's place, a secretary from Channel 6 named Irma.

While chilling at the apartment, Michelangelo was reading a horror comic book he got off one of Casey's shelves. The story shocked and entranced him with each page. Making him wanting to see what was next, but fearful of what was to come at the same time.

"What have we done?!" he read aloud in a dramatic voice. "Did we go too far in our quest for knowledge?! Perhaps… there are some things… Man was never meant to tamper with!"

Suddenly the comic was yanked out of his hands. He looked up to see Raph holding it.

"Hey!" Mikey called out. "Give that back,"

"Still reading the funny books huh?" Raph asked. "Seriously Mikey, these things are a waste of time."

Raph just tossed the comic aside and Mikey quickly grabbed it.

"Waste of time?" Mikey said in shock. "This coming from the turtle who still collects Modern Ninja magazines."

"Hey, those are full of legit ninja style." Raph rebutted. "What are those horror comics good for other than freaking you out and giving you nightmares that we have to deal with?"

"These comics provide us with first-hand knowledge of what to do, and what NOT to do in the event of a monster attack." Mikey tried.

"Oh of course." Raph replied sarcastically. "Forgive me Michelangelo, I had no idea."

"Hey," Leo called out, getting their attention. "IF you two are done, we have work to do."

"Right," Donnie agreed. "Back to the sewer home hunt."

Both Mikey and Raph let out a groan.

"I still don't see why we can't find some place here on the surface to crash." Raph argued, "I mean, come on. There's plenty of abandoned buildings we could refurbish."

"As tempting as that is Raphael," Splinter addressed while meditating on the floor. "We cannot risk being found on the surface, especially with the clean-up of the city still in effect. As difficult as it is to accept, the surface world can never be our own."

"You mean…" Mikey suddenly realized. "Not even pizza?"

"No." Splinter responded. "Pizza is ok. We cannot completely cut ourselves off from the world."

Mikey let out a sigh of relief.

"Had me worried for a second Sensei." Mikey replied.

"Come on ninjas," Leo addressed. "Let's go house hunting."

...

The turtles made their way down into the sewers, Donnie surveying a large map of the tunnels. It was covered in red Xs from previous attempts to find suitable homes, and more than a few tunnels that had been scribbled out because they were no longer accessible.

"Where to next Don?" Leo asked.

"Well, the north west tunnels still remain to be searched." Donne answered, tracing his finger along the map. "And I don't think any of the tunnels have collapsed yet."

"Then that's where we go." Leo decided.

"Hopefully we can find something more than some broken pipes." Raph commented.

"You know, the sewer system is usually the best place to find monsters." Mikey chimed in. "It's dark, dank, and full of spooky shadows for them to jump out of."

Raph was about to smack Mikey when he suddenly bumped into Don, who had stopped. Mikey then bumped into Raph, causing him to elbow Mikey in the gut.

"What's the holdup Don?" Raph asked.

Donnie aimed his flashlight up to reveal some kind of inhuman tracks on the ceiling. The others looked up in surprise.

"What the shell?" Raph let out.

"Dudes! The creepy tracks are always the first things you see before the monster attacks!" Mikey squeaked.

Raph just rolled his eyes as the others continued to look at the tracks.

"What kind of creature could leave those kind of tracks in solid stone?" Leo asked.

"I don't know, but they lead this way." Donnie replied, walking along the trail.

They followed the strange tracks as they crawled across the ceiling, eventually lowering until it was along the wall, then coming to a stop right in front of a giant hole. Donnie took a closer look at the hole, particularly the edges around it.

"Call me crazy, but I think something actually melted through the stone." Donnie shared.

"Donnie, how could something melt through solid stone?" Raph questioned.

"Best guess, it's probably some remnant of the Kraang's mutant experiments." Donnie guessed. "But one thing's for certain…"

"I've never seen anything like it." He and Mikey said at the same time.

"That's what the scientist said in my comic book." Mikey shared. "When the discovered the trail of a hideous monster lurking in the shadows."

"And then what happens?" Raph asked sarcastically. "The monsters jump out and eat their faces or something?"

"No." Mikey answered, shaking his head. "The leader takes one look at the evidence of the monster, turns to his team and says-"

"We should check this out." Leo interrupted.

"Exactly!" Mikey declared, then realization dawned. "Oh… you meant us."

"That's right." Leo confirmed. "If there are other mutants down here, we need to know what they're doing and if they'll cause trouble."

"Then what the shell are we waiting for?" Raph asked, marching towards the hole. "Let's go!"

Leo nodded as he followed Raph into the hole. Donnie turned to Mikey, who was still a bit skeptical about the whole thing.

"You coming?" Donnie asked.

Mikey gulped, then steeled himself and followed his brothers into the hole. Donnie then followed in after as well.

…

On the other side, the turtles came out to an abandoned subway tunnel, and from the looks of things, quite an old one as well.

"Don, any idea where we are?" Leo questioned, looking around the tunnel.

"Judging from the design of the cars and the decay on the wood, I'd have to say at least the early 1900's." Donnie observed.

"A subway graveyard." Mikey commented. "Cool."

"Not entirely." Donnie responded. "See those beams?"

"Yeah." Raph replied.

"They should have given out decades ago." Donnie told them. "Even the slightest sound could cause a collapse. I suggest we be very, very quiet from here on out."

The others nodded and continued moving forward, unaware of a trio of shadowy figures following from behind. Two were incredibly large, while the third was slender, crawling along the ceiling with glowing eyes narrowing at the sight of the turtles.

"Any sign of that creatures tracks?" Leo asked, whispering.

"None so far." Donnie answered.

"So we can go home now, right?" Mikey asked.

All the turtle just glared at him.

"What?" Mikey asked. "It's a fair question."

His brothers went to respond, but they all went wide eyed as they saw the three figures approaching from behind Mikey. Mikey noticed their faces and immediately gulped.

"Don't tell me. This is the part in the comic where the monsters sneak up on the unsuspecting victim from behind."

"Pretty much." Raph confirmed, taking a fighting stance.

Mikey turned around to see three monsters standing behind him. One appeared to be made entirely out of stone, his eyes glowing bright red. Another was roughly the stone one's height, but was red with long fangs and even longer crab-like claws. The third was about the size of the turtles, a bright blue, and had mandibles like a spider. It let out a low hiss, green liquid dripping from its maw. Once the liquid hit the ground, it began dissolving the stone.

"Eep." Mikey let out.

Suddenly, the tunnel started shaking a bit. Everyone froze, even the monsters. This time, when the blue creature hissed, it was at a much lower volume. Donnie took note of this.

"They must know how unsound this place is." Donnie guessed. "No one make any sudden sounds."

Everyone was quiet for a few moments, the creatures slowly closing in on the turtles. Suddenly, Mikey sniffed in a small amount of dirt and let out a sneeze. It echoed through the entire, and everything began to shake.

"For Pete's sake Mikey! Take an antihistamine!" Raph chastised.

"Move!" Leo screamed.

The turtles wasted no time bolting from the collapsing tunnel as debris began crashing down around them. The monsters attempted to follow after them, but were caught up in the rock slide. The turtles didn't have time to notice this as they continued running for their lives. As they ran, they saw what looked like the opening to a large cavern.

"Everyone in there!" Leo ordered.

The turtles ran towards the opening and dove in just as the tunnel collapsed. Slowly, the four of them got back to their feet.

"Well that was close." Donnie commented.

"You think those things survived?" Leo asked.

"Of course they did!" Mikey insisted. "Do you not remember one of them can melt through solid rock?"

"No Mikey." Raph replied. "Because we were a little busy trying not to get buried, BY A COLLAPSING SUBWAY TUNNEL!"

"Guys, enough!" Donnie shouted. "Look."

The turtles turned to see a pair of metal doors embedded into the stone wall across from them.

"Oh no… secret underground lab." Mikey whimpered. "This is just like in my comic book!"

"Life ain't a comic book Mikey." Raph told him.

"So you think it's a cartoon?" Mikey asked. "No wait, a Fanfiction, inspired by a cartoon, based on a comic book! Boom! Mind blown."

His brothers all stared at him, then Leo gave Raph a silent nod. Raph proceeded to whack Mikey upside the head as Donnie examined the doors.

"It looks like these doors were forced open." Donnie examined. "From the inside."

"Meaning someone, or something, forced their way out." Leo surmised.

They made their way past the doors and went inside. Donnie took a look at the interior and was able to instantly recognize it.

"Hey, I think we've been in a place just like this." Donnie shared.

"Yeah..." Raph recalled. "It's just like that room at Foot HQ. The one with those Shredder freaks."

"Exactly." Donnie confirmed. "A genetics lab."

"Creepy." Mikey commented.

"That's putting it mildly." Leo commented.

Unbeknownst to him, Leo accidentally stepped on a security laser on the floor, triggering an alarm. All of the lights suddenly flared on and a large metal door slammed down on the entrance.

"That can't be good." Leo commented. Suddenly from the center of the room, a familiar looking pink crystal placed on some kind of device began glowing. A powerful, sparking field of pink energy began to form around the crystal, expanding outward.

"What the shell is that?" Mikey let out.

"It's a Kraang Crystal!" Donnie exclaimed. "And it's generating some sort of force field!"

The force field then began expanding, causing the turtles to back away. They were slowly running out of room, and if the energy kept up, they would be turned into turtle pancakes. As the force field expanded, Donnie noted that it passed through the equipment in the lab fine. It was just pushing him and his brothers back towards the wall.

"Donnie, do something!" Raph shouted.

"I think I have an idea!" Donnie called back. "The force field only seems to affect organic matter! Raph, throw your sai at the generator, quick!"

"Whatever you say!" Raph called back.

Raph quickly took out a sai and threw it at the generator just as the force field closed in on them. His sai struck true, the entire system sparking and short circuiting before the field itself shut off. The turtles sagged to the ground, grateful to not be flattened.

"I get the suspicion that someone has something to hide down here." Mikey commented.

"Really?" Raph remarked. "What tipped you off?"

"Come on," Donnie spoke as they got to their feet. "Let's see what they were working on down here."

The others got to their feet as well as Donnie made his way over to one of the computers. It didn't take long for him to hack into the terminal, accessing the video archives contained inside.

"Looks like some logs entries were documented in here," Donnie observed. "And by the Kraang from the looks of it."

"So they're the ones who set all this up." Leo pieced together. "Why?"

"This may have been an early Kraang lab before they created Mirage Industries." Donnie surmised. "Or one of their secondary bases."

Donnie continued peering through the database as more and more information was revealed to him.

"Hmm, it seems that they were looking for something down here." he recounted. "From the looks of these files, all of the mutants created down here were specifically designed for excavation and infiltration."

"Looking for something?" Mikey asked. "Think they were looking for us?"

"No, these records are old, dating back a good five, ten years. Long before they even knew we existed." Donnie replied. "If I had to guess, I'd say they were looking for the Utroms."

"Well, I think it's safe to say they failed." Raph pointed out. "I mean, the fact that they abandoned the place says that much."

"That's what these reports say too." Donnie replied. "Take a look."

The others huddled around Donatello as he accessed the video logs and the footage began to play on screen. It showed several Kraang droids standing over a large array of people. Their faces were obscured, but from the amount of screaming on the tape, it was clear that they were being mutates. Many of them transformed on screen, three of them becoming the monsters that the turtles encountered before. The turtles grimaced at the mutations before them and how the creatures were being treated.

"Man… and I thought the Kraang couldn't get any more messed up." Raph swore.

"From what I can tell, they found an Utrom stronghold a couple of miles from here, but it had been abandoned for some time." Donnie read off. "The Kraang seemed all but ready to scrap the project."

"You're saying something stopped them?" Leo asked.

"Not something, someone." Donnie replied.

Mikey gulped.

"Who?" he asked nervously.

"Shredder." Donnie confirmed.

There was a collective gasp from the other three turtles.

"Shred-head was here?!" Raph exclaimed. "What the shell for?!"

"Remember that room of mutants we found in his base?" Donnie reminded. "Same thing here. He wanted to engineer the mutant excavators into his own private mutant army."

"Of course he did." Raph snarled.

"What happened?" Mikey asked.

"See for yourself." Donnie gestured.

The turtles watched as one of the video logs played. A Foot scientist appeared on screen.

" _Day 63."_ The scientist began. " _The creatures assigned to us by Master Shredder have displayed erratic and violent behavior. Our attempts to control them have proven difficult, but not impossible. We learned that the crystals found inside of the Kraang power cells have a calming effect of the creatures. As such, we have placed collars on each of the creatures containing one of these crystals. We shall have to see if this solution is a permanent one."_

"He seemed to have things well in hand." Raph remarked.

"Watch what happens next." Donnie told him.

As the next video started, the scientist looked like he had been attacked and the lab seemed to be in ruins.

" _The creatures have broken free! Their intelligence was greatly underestimated! They will destroy everything! We crossed a line toying with creation. There are some things-"_

"Man was never meant to tamper with." Mikey said along with him. "That's the one line in a horror story you don't want to hear."

There was a loud banging noise behind the turtles as the metal door over the entrance began to buckle. Everyone turned, the sound happening again as a huge dent formed.

"You know," Mikey spoke again. "I hate to play the part of the coward, but maybe we should get out of here?"

"While I don't disagree," Leo responded. "Our only way out is gonna have to be through there."

The banging mysteriously ceased, and for a moment, the turtles had hope their attackers had left. But that's when the metal began to melt as green goop ate through it. The door soon melted away, allowing entry for the three creatures that confronted them earlier. They moved in on the turtles, all of them snarling and growling. The turtles readied themselves and drew their weapons.

"Get…. out…." the blue one hissed, acid dripping from its mandibles.

"Hey we were just leaving." Mikey insisted.

The red one with claws swiped at Mikey, nearly taking off his head. Mikey ducked under it before back flipping away. While that was going on, the three remaining turtles charged at the two remaining monsters. Donnie and Raph tag teamed on the large stone monster, while Leo went solo against the blue one. Leo swung a sword at the blue one's head, but it just ducked under it. The blue creature then spewed acid at Leo, causing the blue turtle to backflip out of the way. He landed shell to shell with Mikey, who was still fighting the red clawed monster.

"How ya doin bro?" Leo asked.

"Well we're trapped in an abandoned Kraang/Foot lab fighting for our lives against three mutant monsters." Mikey listed off. "All in all, I can't complain."

"Just thought I'd ask." Leo replied.

"No, I appreciate it." Mikey reassured. "Makes me feel a lot better about our situation."

"Happy to help." Leo said happily.

Just then, the red monster tackled Mikey just as the blue one closed in on Leo, causing him to get his head back in the battle.

With Donnie and Raph, they each delivered one strike at the rock creature after another, though none of them seemed to be making a dent. However, Raph managed to get a lucky hit on the metal collar on the stone one's neck. This dislodged a small crystal embedded on the metal. The second it hit the ground, the other two monsters seemed to freeze on the spot.

"No… Stonebiter!" the blue one howled.

The blue creature then shoved Leo back as it bolted towards the one it called Stonebiter. Stonebiter appeared to be in pain, clutching its head and stumbling back as the blue one approached. It immediately grabbed the fallen crystal, shoving it back into place on the collar.

"Stonebiter…. Listen to me." the creature seemed to beg. "It's me… Quarry… recognize me?"

Slowly, Stonebiter began to regain what little senses it had left. Donnie took note of this and began to understand.

"Everyone wait!" Donnie called out. "There's no reason to fight."

"What are you talking about Don?" Raph asked. "They attacked us!"

"You… invaded…. Our home…." The blue one, apparently named Quarry, snapped.

"Not on purpose." Leo insisted. "We saw something skulking in the tunnels above and just wanted some answers."

Quarry looked at the turtles as Stonebiter straightened up, then it turned to the red monster.

"Razor Fist… they are not… our enemies..."

The other two mutants slowly backed down, and the turtles put away their weapons in response.

"I am Leonardo." Leo introduced. "These are my brothers, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. What are your names?"

"I am Quarry… This is Stonebiter… and Razor fist..."

"Excuse me," Mikey interjected. "I usually assign the names around here… although those aren't bad."

Leo quickly elbowed Mikey on the arm.

"Not the names the Kraang or the Foot gave you." Leo explained. "Your real names."

The three mutants exchanged looks, then Quarry turned back to the turtles.

"We… do not remember..." Quarry admitted.

The four turtles looked at each other in dismay.

"Our minds… over time, they fade…. Until nothing is left… nothing but…. The monsters."

"I can't believe the Kraang would stoop so low." Leo lamented. "Just so they could find their enemies."

"Yes…" Quarry admitted. "We won our freedom… but soon began to succumb… There were… many of us… now, there are only three."

"I can imagine it only got worse when the Foot got involved." Donnie surmised.

"Yes..." Quarry replied. "What I wouldn't give…. To be free of this… this..."

Donnie just placed a hand on Quarry's shoulder. The blue mutants looked down at him, placing a claw over the turtle's hand.

"I wouldn't worry too much about the Kraang though." Raph reassured. "We sent their leader packing into deep space."

"And… the Shredder?" Quarry asked.

"Dead as a doornail." Raph added. "Leo personally cut off his head."

"Yeah," Mikey confirmed walking by a strange jar. "He made the mistake of tangling with the Ninja Turtles."

Mikey proceeded to do some ninja moves to show off his skill. Just then, a pair of eyes popped out of the jar, causing Mikey to jump back with a yelp.

"What the-?!" he let out.

Those eyes were followed by a mouth and various internal organs suspended in what looked like a batch of mutagen

"What the shell is that?" Donnie asked.

"Another mutation." Quarry answered. "One of the first…"

Just then, an alarm began blaring out, much to the surprise of the mutants.

"Wh-what's that?" Mikey asked.

"Perimeter alarm..." Quarry replied, running over to the computer. "The fallen are approaching..."

"The Fallen?" Raph repeated.

"Other mutates… like us..." Quarry explained. "They… lost themselves..."

Quarry tried pressing a few buttons on the console, but nothing seemed to be happening.

"No… no… no..." Quarry let out. "The force field… won't generate… Something… is wrong…"

The turtles all froze up at the mention of the words "force field".

"Uh… force field?" Donnie asked nervously. "As in a… pink force dome that pushes back all organic matter?"

"Yes…" Quarry confirmed. "Why?"

"Uh… it might have gotten… destroyed." Raph told them.

"What?!" Quarry exclaimed. "By who?"

"Not sure." Mikey answered. "Some idiot I think."

Raph quickly glared at Mikey before Donnie stepped forward.

"But I think I can get it up and running again." He promised.

Quarry nodded and he and Donnie dashed over to the damaged generator, desperate to make it work again. Quarry tore off a panel and Donnie grabbed the wires inside. He put two sets of wires together, generating some power into the equipment.

"That looks like it's working." Donnie observed. "Quarry, fire it up!"

Quarry pressed a few buttons and the crystal started glowing again. Stonebiter and Razorfist moved into the control center where Quarry and Donnie were, and the turtles followed suit. As the generator powered up, three monstrous figures slowly emerged from the darkness and were moving towards the group. Mikey gulped at the sight.

"This things going to hold, right?" Mikey asked.

"We'll know… soon enough." Quarry told him.

Finally, the force field activated. It surrounded the turtles and their new friends, forcing the other creatures back. The creatures tried bashing against the force field, but their efforts seemed to be in vain. When they realized that the shield was impenetrable, they backed off and retreated into the caverns. Once they vanished into the darkness, the machines died down, everything fading away.

"Well that seemed to work." Mikey noted.

"Yes, but at a price." Quarry lamented, picking up the crystal.

The crystal then shattered to pieces, much to the shock of the turtles.

"The crystal's… burnt out?" Donnie let out. "I didn't think it was possible."

"This crystal… it powered… the entire facility..." Quarry explained. "Its fragments… are what allow us…. To stay sane..."

"So, those crystals are sanity collars?" Mikey asked.

Quarry nodded, tapping the metal collar around his neck near where the crystal was embedded.

"The scientists… simply thought…. They kept us…. Docile..." Quarry informed them, "But over time…. Our sanity returned… and with it…. Our desire…. For freedom."

"That's why you busted out when you did." Leo deduced.

Quarry nodded.

"So what now?" Raph asked.

"They'll be back..." Quarry told them. "They always come back... And without a crystal to protect us…

"Then we get you another one." Leo decided.

Both Razorfist and Stonebiter seemed to gasp at the idea, backing away in fright. Even Quarry seemed on edge.

"Impossible..." he lamented. "The crystals…. Are in the city… with the fallen."

"City?" Donnie asked. "You mean that Utrom installation you guys found?"

All three mutates nodded.

"The fallen… have taken residence there… since breaking free…" Quarry told them.

"I know it's scary," Leo told them. "But if you just stay here, there gonna just waltz in and kill you all. Taking a daring trip to that city might be your only chance at survival."

Quarry looked amongst his two friends, then seemed to steel himself.

"We have… no choice..." Quarry decided.

"If you want, we can go with you." Donnie volunteered.

"It never hurts to have someone watch your back." Mikey added.

"That and we're the ones that kinda...broke your security system." Raph admitted.

"Thank you..." Quarry told them. "This way..."

…

The mutants made their way through the vast underground tunnels, with Quarry and his friends leading the way. As they walked, Donnie noticed how Quarry continued to glance in Stonebiter's direction.

"You guys noticed how close Quarry and Stonebiter are?" Donnie asked.

"Not really." Leo admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"I think they knew each other back when they were human." Donnie hypothesized.

"I thought Quarry was just worried because the crystal in his collar was starting to go dark." Mikey remarked.

The others turned to him in surprise.

"When did you notice that?" Donnie asked.

"When Quarry put it back." Mikey explained. "It's a classic horror movie trope. One of the survivors is slowly succumbing to the deadly virus plaguing the world."

"Oh let me guess, it was in your comic book." Raph let out.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Mikey confirmed. "If I had to guess what happens next, I'd say that we have a close call with Stonebiter losing it for a second and nearly killing one of us before coming to his senses at the very last second."

Raph just rolled his eyes at that as they continued walking through the tunnels.

"You are remarkable, you know that?" Raph asked.

"Why thank you Raph." Mikey replied, bowing. "I aim to please."

Just then, Stonebiter stopped dead in his tracks, clenching his fists as a low growl began to emanate from him. The turtles backed up in response to this, while Quarry moved in close to see what was wrong.

"Stonebiter?" he asked, the worry evident in his tone. "Stonebiter!"

Stonebiter continued growling and slammed his fist on the ground. Quarry gasped, realizing what was wrong.

"His crystal has lost power!" Quarry shrieked.

"Then getting a new crystal is of greater priority." Leo declared. "How much further until we get to the city?"

"Not much further..." Quarry answered. "Razorfist… watch Stonebiter… You are the only one… who can stop him..."

Razorfist nodded as the others moved forward. Donnie moved toward Quarry and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find a way to save him." Donnie reassured. "I promise."

Quarry looked back at Stonebiter, his fist clenching.

"I… hope so..."

…

Finally, Quarry and the turtles reached the Utrom outpost, which did look like a small city designed for the Utroms. Donnie let out a whistle in response.

"Impressive." Donnie complimented.

"Be careful..." Quarry warned. "This place…. Is… dangerous"

"We're no stranger to danger." Mikey commented before chuckling a bit. "Heh, that rhymes."

Raph just smacked him on the head before the group continued inside. As they continued walking, the turtles looked around the abandoned city in frantic anticipation.

"I'll bet nothing like this happened in your comic." Raph remarked.

"Well, the explorers did find a hidden sanctuary deep beneath this city." Mikey replied. "It had been the birthplace of the deadly virus and was overrun by the infected. Everyone had to be super quiet in order to avoid detection. Unfortunately, that's when the infected survivor finally succumbed."

"You know what, forget I said anything." Raph replied.

"You asked." Mikey reminded.

Just then, a low moaning rang out, causing the turtles to take a fighting stance. Quarry suddenly became terrified.

"Stonebiter…" he let out.

Razorfist tried to grab Stonebiter, hoping to contain his friend. Unfortunately, the stone mutant simply batted him aside, letting out a loud roar.

"Stonebiter's losing it." Donnie lamented.

Just then, a low moaning emanating from deeper in the city, much to the horror of the turtles and Quarry.

"There was a sound like that in my comic book too." Mikey shared.

"Wait a minute," Raph spoke up. "You read it in a comic. How can it sound the same?"

Just then, Raph saw something clinging to one of the walls, slowly descending towards them.

"Sweet mother of mutations." Raph let out, backing away.

Mikey and the others turned around and saw the creature looming over them as well.

"Eep." Mikey let out.

The creature then leapt down in front of them, revealing itself to be a larger version of Stonebiter with jagged rocks coming out of his arms and shoulders, sharp teeth, and horns coming out of the side of its head. The turtles and Quarry backed away in shock.

"It's… a more monstrous version of Stonebiter." Mikey let out. "Mon-stone!"

Mon-stone raised his fists and tried bringing them down on them, causing them to scatter.

Raph landed on the ground and ran towards the new monster. He used the blunt ends of his sai to strike at the monster, but they seemed to do little on him. Mon-stone then punched him in the face, sending him flying back.

Back with Stonebiter, Quarry had ran over to aid Razorfist. The two mutants grabbed both Stonebiter's arms and tried to hold him down.

"Stonebiter!" Quarry cried out. "Please! Do not... give in... To the madness! Remember... who you are!"

Stonebiter just roared in response before throwing the two mutants off of him, causing them to land with a thud.

Back with the turtles, they were engaging Mon-stone head on. Leo swung his swords at its arm, but it just blocked them before shoving him off. Donnie swung his staff at its head, making him stumble back before back handing him aside. Mikey ran up to Mon-stone, but the behemoth just grabbed him and threw him aside. Mikey landed on the ground hard, groaning as he opened his eyes. He went wide eyed when he saw two more monsters standing over him. He quickly got back up and ran over to his brothers.

"Guys!" Mikey cried out as he approached them. "We got company!"

The other turtles turned to see what he was talking about. They were greeted by the sight of a more insect like version of Quarry and what looked like Razorfist but with bigger claws and a scorpion tail.

"Take it those are the other 'fallen' Quarry mentioned." Leo deduced.

"Just what we need, more monsters." Donnie let out.

"Yeah, Mon-stone was bad enough," Mikey agreed. "Now we got Insectoid and King Nail!"

"Enough with the names already!"

The roars of all three monsters caused the turtles to drop the nonsense and circle up in preparation. They all readied their weapons as the creatures closed in around them.

"So… Quarry and Razorfist are coming, right?" Mikey asked.

"Considering how Stonebiter is doing right now," Donnie replied. "I'd say they have their hands full."

"So it's just us against them." Leo noted.

"Well if we're going out," Raph spoke spinning his sai. "Then it might as well be in a blaze of glory!"

"Cowabunga!" Mikey yelled as the four of them charged towards the monsters.

Back with Quarry, he and Razorfist were still trying to subdue Stonebiter, but he was proving difficult to control. Razorfist tried grabbing an arm with one of his claws, but Stonebiter just grabbed his arm and threw him into a wall. Quarry jumped onto his back and maintained a death grip as the large creature thrashed around.

"Please...my friend." Quarry pleaded. "Do not… make me… hurt you…"

Stonebiter replied by grabbing Quarry and throwing him into one of the buildings. Quarry crashed through the wall and rolled onto the ground. He let out a groan, picking himself up. As he finally regained his senses, he saw that he was in some kind of prison area. He gasped at the sight, an idea forming as he looked back at his insane friend.

Meanwhile, the turtles were fighting for their lives against the fallen creatures. Leo clashed his blades against Insectoid, despite the swords barely leaving a dent in its tough hide.

Donnie went up against King Nail, using his staff to deflect his claws. The creature then tried snapping at Donnie's head, forcing the turtle to duck. He took the opportunity to strike at the creature's chest. However, it didn't seem to do any damage as King Nail used his other claw to try and snap at him. Don jumped out of the way and went to strike him again, but it just spun around, whipping him with his tail and sending him flying through the air.

Raph and Mikey meanwhile were tag teaming against Mon-stone. Mikey had his kusarigama chain wrapped around one of the stone monster's fists, trying to keep him from pounding Raph. Raph took this opportunity and used his sai to slice and bash at the massive stone creature. Finally, the creature pulled his arms forward, launching Mikey towards Raph and making him collide with the red turtle. The two tumbled on the ground as Mon-stone tore through the chain.

"Aw man, do you know how hard it is to find good quality chains?" Mikey whined. "Why do bad guys always have to snap it?"

Mon-stone just growled as he slowly approached the two turtles.

"Ok Mikey I'll bite." Raph relented. "How did they beat the infected in your comic?"

"To be continued..." Mikey lamented. "Never found the next issue."

"Of course you didn't." Raph let out.

"Hey, I've been helpful so far, you try coming up with an idea!" Mikey challenged.

"I'm working on it!" Raph yelled.

"Turtles!" Quarry's voice called out.

Everyone turned as Quarry came running up to them.

"Lure the fallen this way!" he shouted. "I have an idea!"

"See?" Mikey pointed out. "He has a plan."

"Ok smart guy," Raph replied. "How do we get them to follow us?"

Mikey looked around, then his eyes drifted upward. He gasped when he saw perhaps the largest cluster of Kraang crystals in existence.

"We use that!" he shouted.

Raph looked up and smiled. He then threw one of his sai at the cluster, causing it to disconnect from the ceiling and drop down. Mikey quickly leapt up and caught it before landing on the ground and holding it over his head.

"Hey guys!" Mikey called out. "Look what I got!"

Mon-stone, Nail King, and Insectoid all looked up from their battles. They saw the pulsating crystal in Mikey's grip and immediately were drawn to it. Mikey grinned, then lobbed it through the air.

"Donnie, catch!" he shouted.

Donnie leapt onto Nail King's head before leaping into the air and catching the crystal. He then dashed past Nail King as the mutants followed after.

"Quarry, whatever you're planning, do it now!"

"Follow me." Quarry instructed.

The two mutants ran towards Quarry's intended destination, with the three monsters in hot pursuit. Finally, they reached the prison building Quarry found.

"Inside! Quick!" Quarry instructed, tearing open the door.

They made inside as the monsters followed. Donnie and Quarry backed away slowly as the three of them approached. Suddenly, Razorfist plowed right into Mon-stone, slamming him right into one of the empty cells. Once Razorfist was clear, Quarry slammed his hand on a button, a stone door rising up and sealing Mon-stone in. Donnie saw this and knew what he had to do. He ran towards King Nail and vaulted on his staff towards him, kicking him in the head. The impact sent the clawed mutant into another one of the cells, which Quarry sealed up as well. Finally, all this left was Insectoid. Razorfist ran towards it and picked it up, tossing it into one of the remaining cells. Donnie wasted no time slamming the doors shut.

"That about does it." Donnie said triumphantly.

"Not quite." Quarry replied.

The three of them turned outward to see Stonebiter still going berserk. Any sanity he may have had was gone. Donnie saw this, then looked down at the large crystal cluster that had been discarded.

"Mikey, I need a shard of that cluster." he requested as the other turtles came up. "The size of a bang rock will do, but hurry!"

"You got it D!" Mikey obliged.

Mikey let out a meow to the crystal, which broke off a small piece of it. Donnie grabbed the piece and held it up.

"Just give me enough time to get this in." Donnie instructed.

Both Quarry and Razorfist nodded, charging at their comrade. The two mutants tackled Stonebiter to the ground, pinning him down with all their might. Stonebiter struggled to get free, but the two wouldn't budge. Donnie wasted no time running over to them and placing the crystal inside Stonebiter's collar.

The effect was instantaneous. His struggles died down and he quieted. He seemed to take a few deep breaths, then gave a small nod. Both Razorfist and Quarry released him.

"Stonebiter… are you… alright?" Quarry asked.

Stonebiter nodded, then he looked over at the prison as the other turtles joined them. He seemed to stare at it, then he looked over at Razorfist. Despite neither of them saying a word, they seemed to have some sort of unheard conversation. After a second, they both nodded, then turned back to Quarry. In unison, they pointed at themselves, then Quarry, then the prison.

"What's he saying?" Leo asked.

"They think… it would… be best… if we were contained… as well..." Quarry explained, his tone resigned. "And… they are right..."

"But, you're not like those creatures." Donnie told him. "You still have hold of your minds."

"For… how long?" Quarry asked.

Donnie tried to respond, but no answer came.

"This… is the… only way…" Quarry determined.

"I promise you," Donnie spoke. "I will find a cure. No matter what it takes."

"I know… you will..." Quarry told him, placing a hand on his shell. "Take Timothy… with you..."

"Timothy?" Mikey repeated. "Who's that?"

"The creature… in the jar…" Quarry explained. "He… needs… your help... "

"Sure." Donnie agreed. "I'll also take a few crystals. If they can keep your minds intact, they maybe the secret to reversing your mutations."

"Do… what you must..." Quarry replied.

As he said this, Stonebiter and Razorfist moved themselves into separate cells, Quarry doing the same. They stood there and waited for the turtles to lock them in.

…

After everything was done, the turtles left the underground city and returned to the sewer tunnels, feeling quite downtrodden. Donnie dragged Timothy's mutagen container behind him, hating everything they had been forced to do with every step.

"Man, what a bummer." Mikey commented. "I feel bad leaving those guys down there."

"Don't we all." Donnie agreed. "You'd think after everything we've been through, we'd finally get a break."

"But noooo." Mikey added.

"You'd think saving a few fellow mutants wouldn't be that big of a problem." Leo threw out.

"But noooo." Mikey repeated.

"You'd think we'd at least find a stinkin home, in the stinkin sewers!" Raph raged.

"But noooo-"

Before Mikey could continue, he broke through some old floorboards, falling down the tunnel below them.

"Mikey!" the others cried out.

"It's alright!" Mikey called back. "I landed on my… wow! Guys get down here! You gotta see this!"

The three looked at each other for a moment before following Mikey down the tunnel, leaving Timothy up top, just in case. They slid for a minute, before landing hard in an old subway tunnel. Mikey stood there, a big grin on his face.

"Guys, you are not gonna believe what's down here." he declared.

The three looked around and saw what looked like an abandoned subway station. The place was decorated with old subway cars, dust, and cobwebs. The turtles were immediately impressed by their surroundings.

"Nice." Donnie complimented.

Donnie then noticed some kind of switch on the wall.

"I wonder if…" He pondered walking over to it.

He flipped the switch and, after a pit of sparking, the place lit up with lights. Leo looked around admiring what he was seeing. His eyes fixated on what looked like some old arcade games, including a Space Heroes Pinball machine.

"Guys, I think we finally caught a break." Donnie announced.


	45. Revenge of the Hunt

_I am called Leatherhead, and for the longest time, I have done battle against a terrible monster. It has haunted me for many years, striking when I least expect it, and attacking me at my very core. Recently I have found new ways to combat it, but it is still there. Lurking in the shadows, awaiting its moment to strike._

 _What makes this creature all the more terrifying is that monster… is me._

…

Mona Lisa wandered through the sewer tunnels, recoiling at the stench. She crawled along the walls to avoid the stagnant water, looking around curiously.

"Sheesh." she let out. "How hard is it to find somewhere a mutant can lay low down here without the smell of mildew and god knows what else stinking up the place?"

As she continued walking though, a pair of familiar voices filled her ears.

"More TV's Donnie! I need more!"

"Why? Can't figure out what to watch?"

"I just want to be able to watch "multiple episodes of Krognard at the same time. We missed out on a lot while fighting the forces of evil and I want to catch up."

"Donnie? Mikey?" Lisa let out.

She rounded a corner to see the two turtles lugging some bags full of stuff inside. She jumped down off the wall, grinning widely.

"Oh my god, you guys are alive!" she exclaimed. "I knew it! I knew you weren't dead!"

"Mona Lisa?" Donnie let out. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, my apartment was part of the wreckage of the latest alien invasion." Lisa explained. "After they up and left, the city started doing repairs, and unfortunately, that means a whole bunch of humans who aren't exactly friendly with non-humans lurking around my home. Thus, I came down here to find a place to lay low for awhile. Mark was willing to let me stay on mutant island, but my mom didn't like the idea of be being on an island full of homeless people and mutants."

"Hey, the homeless guys ain't that bad." Mikey insisted. "Sure they need to shower more frequently, but still great guys."

"She said 'hiding out with them during the alien apocalypse is one thing, but I won't let you stay there alone'." Lisa explained.

"Fair enough." Donnie relented. "Though staying with some familiar faces might not hurt."

"That's why I came down here looking for you guys." Lisa explained. "After the crystal wall exploded, that crazy beam of light, and then that tower going up in a flames, I figured you guys had come back. I also figured you'd returned to your old stomping ground. Raph said you guys lived in the sewers."

She then glanced around, a slight blush on her face.

"Where… is Raphael anyway?" she questioned.

"He and Leo are collecting the last of the stuff from the old lair." Mikey explained. "Long story short, we kinda had to fill out some change of address forms."

"Well, maybe I can help out." Lisa offered. "If you let me crash at your new pad for awhile."

"I'm sure we can come to an arrangement." Donnie replied.

"And I know Raph would enjoy it." Mikey added playfully.

Lisa grinned.

"Yeah, I need to have a few words with him when he gets back." she replied, cracking her knuckles. "So, which way's home?"

"This way." Donnie gestured.

…

Back at the new lair, Splinter was cleaning away some of the dust and cobwebs while Leatherhead was pushing some of the old cars out of the way, leaving about four or five for the turtles to use as they wished.

"You have my thanks for helping us move in, Leatherhead." Splinter told him.

"It's my pleasure Master Splinter." Leatherhead replied.

From down the tunnels, Master Splinter heard the sound of unfamiliar footsteps approaching the entrance. He dropped the broom and grabbed his walking stick before moving to the tunnel. The footsteps drew closer, and appeared to be walking along the wall. Using his hearing to detect where it was coming from, he swung his staff in that direction, knocking something to the ground.

"Yikes!" Lisa exclaimed, hitting the ground and throwing her arms up. "Friendly!"

"Master Splinter, wait!" Donnie cried out. "This is Lisa. The girl Raph told you about."

"Yeah, she's a good guy!" Mikey added. "Or, girl."

Lisa gave an awkward grin, shrugging a bit while keeping her hands raised.

"Hi." she greeted.

Splinter backed off and offered a hand up.

"My apologies." He replied as she took his hand and he helped her up. "Things for my family have been… strenuous lately."

"Your family?" Lisa questioned before realization. "Wait a minute… You're him. You're Master Splinter, aren't you?"

"Indeed." He confirmed.

Lisa laughed a bit, grinning widely.

"Oh man, Raphael never shut up about you!" She informed him. "I'm glad he found you alive."

"Aren't we all." Donnie agreed.

"He has said quite a few things about you as well," Splinter informed. "Mona Lisa, was it?"

"Yes." She replied. "Raphael gave me the name, and between you and me, I like it a bit better than boring old Lisa Monogamy."

"I see." Splinter noted.

About that time, Leatherhead came up to the group, much to Lisa's surprise.

"I believe that does it for the excess cars." He reported.

"Whoa, another mutant." Lisa let out. "Another victim of the mutagen rain?"

Leatherhead shook his head.

"No, my transformation occured a long time ago." he explained before offering out his hand. "I am called Leatherhead. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lisa took the offered hand with a smile.

"A mutated _Crocodylus acutus._ " she observed, looking Leatherhead up and down. "Impressive."

"And you called us nerds." Mikey teased.

Lisa whacked him upside the head with her tail, a gesture that elicited a snort from Leatherhead.

"I see quite a bit of Raphael in you." he noted.

"Speaking of him, any idea when he'll be getting back from his errand?" she questioned. "I need to give him a piece of my mind."

"I am uncertain." Splinter admitted. "There is no telling how much was salvaged from our former home."

"Though with my new Sewer Slider, it shouldn't take too long." Donnie reassured.

…

At the old lair, Raph was tying down some of the stuff they collected into the Sewer Slider, which looked like a suped-up jeep, while Leo was gathering a few final things.

"That everything?" Raph asked.

"Just this last box of things from Splinter's room." Leo called back.

That's when Leo came out carrying a box filled with old pictures, as well as a pair of ornate urns decorated in japanese kanji. He placed it reverently onto the Sewer Slider before looking back at the destroyed lair.

"Our home…" he lamented. "For nearly 16 years… and this is all that's left."

Raph placed a comforting hand on his shell.

"I figured you'd know better than anyone that home ain't stuff." He told him.

"Right." Leo replied smiling. "Home is where family is. So let's get back to ours."

The two turtles shared a nod, then climbed into the Sewer Slider and headed for home.

…

Back at the new lair, Mikey just finished setting up a massive TV array along one of the walls.

"There." He let out. "The Terrapin Station Entertainment Center is finally ready.

"Terrapin Station?" Donnie repeated. "Do you have to name everything?"

"Why not?" Mikey replied. "Besides, what would you call our new digs? The Shell-ter?"

"Uh...how about Sewer of Solitude?" Donnie tried.

"The Turtle Cave."

"The School For Gifted Reptiles."

"The Hall of Nin-justice!"

"Oh for the love of god, you two are such nerds!" Lisa called out. "Seriously!"

"What's your point?" They both asked at the same time.

"If I may propose an idea." Splinter interjected. "I think we should call this place… home."

Both Mikey and Donnie exchange looks, then nod.

"Catchy." Mikey admitted. "But I still say Terrapin Station is the best."

Splinter sighed, chuckling under his breath.

"Kids..."

Just then, the Sewer Slider flew in through one of the tunnels and landed on the tracks so Leo and Raph could get out.

"We're back!" Leo announced.

Raph barely even had time to fully get out of the slider before Lisa tackled him to the ground.

"Raphael!" she shouted, her voice mixed with elation and anger all at the same time.

"Lisa?!" Raph let out. "When did you-"

She cut him off with a punch across the face.

"THAT is for not returning my calls!"

She punched him again.

"THAT is for disappearing for three frikken months!"

She punched him yet again.

"THAT is for leading me to believe you were dead!"

She punched him one last time.

"THAT is for leaving me and my mom to fend for ourselves during a frikken alien invasion!"

Finally, she grabbed the edge of his plastron, pulling him into a deep kiss. She held it for a few seconds, then pulled back.

"And that's for finally coming back alive you stupid, bone-headed turtle." she concluded, tears in her eyes.

Raph just layed there speechless for a few seconds.

"Uh… sorry for that first stuff." He finally spoke.

She pulled him into a hug, just sighing in relief.

"I'm just glad you're alive…" she told him. "You're alive, and you're back."

Raph wasted no time hugging her back. The other three turtles stood there awkwardly, then Leo let out a cough.

"Uh… Raph?" Leo let out. "I… kinda need your help unloading the Sewer Slider."

Raph and Lisa both came to their senses, releasing one another quickly.

"Uh… right." Raph replied, getting to his feet. "Be right there."

Raph dashed over to the Sewer Slider and grabbed a few boxes off of it.

"Hey Don," Raph called out. "Some of your tech from your lab actually survived."

Donnie came over and looked inside the box and saw several pieces of equipment, including one he was especially excited about.

"My homemade centrifuge!" He let out. "This is great! I don't have to start from scratch on my retro-mutagen anymore."

"And Mikey, most of your comic book collection made it too." Leo told him.

Mikey ran over to the Sewer Slider and grabbed the box Leo was holding. He rummaged through it, checking to see what issues remained.

"Not too bad, not too bad…" Mikey surveyed.

Suddenly, he noticed a certain issue was missing.

"Wait, where's Justice Force # 37?!" He let out.

"Sorry Mikey, that was all we could find." Leo told him

"Nooooo!" Mikey cried dropping to his knees. "Curse you Shredder!"

The others just rolled their eyes as Leo grabbed another box.

"We were able to save some of your things too Sensei." Leo said, showing Splinter the box.

He looked at the box, sighing in visible relief at the sight of the two urns.

"Master Yoshi's ashes..." he let out. "And Tang Shen's… they survived the attack."

"Looks like." Leo replied.

"Thank you for bringing these home safely my son." Splinter told him, taking the box.

Leo bowed in reply, then resumed his duties of offloading. While he and the other turtles were doing that, Lisa walked up to Splinter.

"Umm, Splinter?" She asked awkwardly. "I know we just met and all, but I have a request. My mom's apartment is under construction and I need a place to crash until it's repairs. You wouldn't mind if I stayed with you guys, would you?"

"I see no reason not to." Splinter replied. "Though with Leatherhead staying with us as well, finding sleeping arrangements might prove difficult."

Lisa glanced over at Leatherhead, then over at the living room.

"He can have the couch." she offered. "I'll crash on the recliner. I'd fit on it better anyhow."

"If you insist." Leatherhead replied, trying to grab a teacup.

Unfortunately, his massive hand accidentally shattered the cup upon holding it.

"Oh, no I-" Leatherhead tried to apologize when his tail swung around and accidentally shattered a teapot. "Master Splinter, I'm sorry.

"Heh, just like a big croc in a china shop." Raph remarked, elbowing Leatherhead.

Leatherhead let out a low growl, his eyes becoming feral as he turned towards the red-banded turtle.

"That is not funny Raphael." Leatherhead said infuriated as he pushed him. "I did not mean to break it."

"Whoa, easy big guy." Raph tried to reassure. "It was just a joke."

"Not everything is a joke!" Leatherhead yelled. "I am not a joke!"

"Yikes." Lisa winced, looking over at Leo. "Is he always like this?"

"You should see him when someone says Kraang." Mikey replied before realizing what he said. "Oops."

"KRAANG!" Leatherhead roared.

He then swiped Raph with his tail before lunging at Donnie.

"Not the face!" Donnie let out trying to shield himself.

Just then, Leatherhead's hand stopped inches from his face. Donnie opened his eyes and saw the sanity return to the crocs eyes.

"I- I apologize." Leatherhead said quickly, lowering his arm. "It would seem that even with the aid of the Utroms, my temper still gets the better of me sometimes."

"Hey it's alright." Mikey told him. "Nobody's perfect."

"Yeah." Raph agreed. "You know, some people say I have a temper."

"That's for sure." Mikey agreed. "You think you have it bad big guy? Raph is like a raging wolverine when-"

Lisa's tongue suddenly connected with the back of his neck, a powerful paralyzing poison freezing him mid-sentence. He fell over as Lisa retracted her tongue.

"Man, I forgot how annoying he was." she remarked.

"You get used to it." Leo reassured.

"I just wish I could control this… animal inside of me." Leatherhead lamented.

Splinter placed a hand on Leatherhead's shoulder, attempting to sooth the upset croc.

"We all have a dark side, Leatherhead." Splinter informed him. "It is how we choose to live and deal with that darkness, that makes us who we are."

"And you won't have to deal with it alone." Donnie reassured. "Everything's gonna be ok."

"Even that teapot." Mikey added from the ground. "Uh… anyone know where we packed the glue?"

This elicited some much needed laughter from the entire group.

…

That night, most everyone turned in for some much needed sleep. The turtles had all made their way to old train cars they had claimed as their 'new rooms'. Lisa was passed out on the recliner with a blanket draped over her, and Leatherhead was in a similar state on the couch. the only one still up was Splinter, who was watching a news report on the tv.

" _And the victims should make a full recovery within the week, but this report can only hope that this recent rise of gang violence is not the precursor of things to come."_

Splinter just glared at this, hoping the same thing the reporter did.

On the couch, Leatherhead was tossing and turning in his sleep. It was clear he was in the throws of a terrible nightmare.

…

 _Leatherhead's eyes opened to a world distorted by glass and an unknown substance. His entire body ached, and wires were digging into his skin. He looked through the distortion to see several Kraang scientists observing him and making notes._

 _He saw red, balling up his fists and smashing through the glass. He tore the wires out of his flesh, howling in pain as the Kraang began to fire upon him. He grabbed the nearest one by the face, slamming it into another before ripping a third apart with his jaws. The more he fought, the more Kraang begin to pour in, and it was clear he would soon be overwhelmed._

…

Suddenly, Leatherhead's eyes snapped open, and he grabbed some figure standing over him. He slammed the figure against the wall and snarled at it. He then lifted the figure into the air before throwing it on the ground, letting out a mighty roar after he did so. All of a sudden, a girly scream ripped through the air, pulling Leatherhead from his rage.

"MICHELANGELO!" Lisa shrieked.

Leatherhead looked down and saw the unmoving body of his closest friend. He instantly realized what had happened and was horrified by what he had done.

"Michelangelo…" he let out. "No… what have i done?"

The other turtles and Splinter run over and saw what had happened.

"Mikey!" the turtles cried out.

"What happened?!" Splinter demanded.

"Stay back!" Leatherhead told them. "I'm not safe!"

With that, Leatherhead darted down one of the subway tunnels, leaving the turtles confused.

"Lisa what happened?" Leo asked.

"I don't know!" Lisa exclaimed. "All I know is I hear snarling and roaring, and next thing I know, Mikey's on the ground with Leatherhead standing over him!"

Donnie and Raph ran over to their fallen brother to see if he was truly gone.

"Is he…?" Raph tried to ask.

"No, he's still breathing." Donnie answered, putting an ear to his shell.

Suddenly, Mikey started groaning in pain, causing Donnie to pull back.

"Mikey?" He said softly. "Mikey are you okay?"

"Ow...yeah." Mikey confirmed, holding his head. "Though I think I dislocated my forehead."

"Yeah, he's fine." Raph remarked.

"Michelangelo, What happened?" Splinter asked, kneeling down.

"Well, I heard Leatherhead getting restless so I came out to try and comfort him." Mikey explained. "He must have been having a pretty bad nightmare because he lashed out and attacked me."

Mikey then looked around and found no sign of him.

"Hey, where is LH anyway?" Mikey asked.

"He ran off." Lisa explained. "Looked extremely upset, and I'm pretty sure he thinks you're- well… dead."

Mikey jerked back in shock.

"What?!" He exclaimed before getting to his feet. "We have to find him! We have to let him know I'm ok!"

"And we will." Leo reassured.

"Take caution, my sons." Splinter warned. "Leatherhead's mind may not be as it should be. There is no telling whether he will see you as friends, or as enemies."

…

Meanwhile, in another part of the sewers, someone else was skulking through the tunnels, and had found Leatherhead's tracks.

"Well well…" he let out examining the prints. "Looks like those rumors of crocs in the sewer were right, Amelia."

As he spoke, a small round robot on wheels rolled up to the man as he stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be Jack Marlin.  
"We may have blown it with that dog and turtle," Marlin admitted. "But this croc is bound to be the bounty of a lifetime."

The small robot seemed to chirp in reply as the pair moved further into the tunnels. As he was about to round the next tunnel, he halted as he saw some very familiar creatures.

"Looks like Leatherhead's tracks lead this way." Donnie deduced.

"I just hope he's ok." Mikey said as they walked off.

"Well well well." Marlin let out. "It seems our old reptile buddies are back. Can't have them screw up this bounty now can we?"

He then saw a fifth figure pulling up the rear, holding the hand of one of the creatures.

"I just hope he's in a talking mood when we find him." Lisa remarked. "Leatherhead is terrifying when he's angry."

"And a human sized Salamander?" Marlin noted, grinning widely. "Amelia, this is gonna be the hunt of a lifetime!"

The robot beeped and chirped in response again.

"Now, let's go prepare something for our old turtle friends." Marlin spoke sinisterly.

…

The turtles and Lisa moved through the tunnels, trying to find any trace of Leatherhead.

"See anything, Don?" Leo questioned.

"Nothing yet." Donnie reported.

"You'd think a giant croc in the sewers would be easy to stop." Raph remarked.

"Or at least easy to find." Lisa added.

As they walked along, her foot hit a laser tripwire, causing some very familiar turrets to rise up out of the ground and start shooting lasers at them. Raph saw this and immediately jumped towards Lisa, tackling her out of the way. The other turtles back flipped away before landing and deflecting the lasers with their weapons.

"What the hell?!" Lisa screamed. "Who put frikken lasers down here?!"

"We'll figure that out when we're not being shot at!" Raph replied before taking out a sai and throwing it at one of the turrets.'

The sai struck the turret, stabbing right through the mechanism and shorting it out. As Donnie spun his staff to deflect the shots, he pulled out several shuriken and threw them at the turrets, each one making direct contact with them. One by one, they all shorted out, the laser fire finally stopping. The turtles lowered their weapons in relief as Raph and Lisa got to their feet.

"That was close." Mikey let out.

"Too close." Leo replied as Donnie walked over to the destroyed turrets.

"We've seen these turrets before." Donnie told them, picking one up.

"Marlin." Raph snarled.

"Who?" Lisa questioned.

"Remember when we told you there was a bounty on mutants?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, I remember." Lisa replied. "I take it this guy tried to cash in."

"Yeah." Mikey confirmed. "He tried hunting these two other mutants, but we scared him off."

"Well, it looks like he's back." Leo continued, "And considering how unlikely he knows we're down here, we gotta assume he's going after Leatherhead."

"Then we gotta find him before he does!" Mikey exclaimed.

"C'mon guys, let's haul shell!" Raph declared.  
…

In a tunnel not too far away, Leatherhead roamed aimlessly through the sewer tunnels. He didn't have any idea where he was, or even where he was going. All that was going through his mind was Mikey's unmoving body. He looked down at his claws, watching as they shook from rage and sorrow.

"My friend..." he sobbed. "The first person to ever see past the monster… gone… because of me."

He sank to his knees, crying. It was there that Marlin found him, eliciting a smile from the hunter's face.

"This will almost be too easy." Marlin remarked.

Leatherhead looked up at the hunter, meeting his eyes before sighing in resignation.

"Go ahead..." the croc told him. "Do it. A monster like me deserves to be hunted like an animal..."

"Well, first time my quarry's thrown in the towel, but never look a gift croc in the mouth." Marlin remarked, aiming his gun. "If only those four turtles would give in so easily."

Leatherhead's went wide.

"Four… turtles?" He repeated in shock. "Did you say four?"

"Aye, four mutant turtles and a salamander to boot." Marlin replied. "I'll be a wealthy man with the reward off the six of ya."

"Michelangelo… he's alive." Leatherhead let out in relief before the rest of what Marlin said sank in. "And you…. Want to hurt them!"

Leatherhead then sprang up and lunged at Marlin, tackling him to the ground. In a panic, Marlin jabbed his gun into Leatherhead's stomach, shooting him with a powerful tranq. Leatherhead stumbled back as the effects of the tranq took effect. He fell backward hard, his eyes rolling back in his head as blackness overtook him.

"If you're friends with those turtles and that salamander," Marlin pondered. "Then maybe I can nab six reptiles with the same stone."

…

Lisa crawled along the ceiling of the tunnel, keeping an eye out for any more traps.

"I'm not seeing anymore of those turrets, guys." she reported.

"That's good at least." Leo said. "But it doesn't give us anymore clues as to where Marlin or Leatherhead could be."

"How about crocodile tracks in the mud?" Mikey suggested.

The others looked down and saw the tracks leading towards one of the larger drainage junctions.

"That works." Leo let out before bolting down the tunnel. "Let's go!"

The others followed suit and eventually found themselves in the large junction. They saw Leatherhead dangling from one of the catwalks. He seemed unharmed, but was unconscious and heavily chained up.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey let out about to run towards him.

"Hold it Mikey!" Leo called, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This all seems too much like a trap."

"Well, I don't see any other way of getting him down from there." Lisa pointed out.

"Maybe springing the trap isn't such a bad idea after all." Donnie pondered.

"What are you thinking Don?" Leo asked.

Donnie just smiled in response.

…

Within moments, Raph and Leo dropped down to the platform, looking for any sign of the elusive hunter.

"Marlin!" Leo called out. "Come out and show yourself!"

"Well well well." Marlin let out, coming out of the shadows on a ledge nearby. "If it ain't my favorite reptiles."

"Yeah, and if it ain't our least favorite Aussie." Raph remarked, spinning his sai.

"Marlin, I thought you skipped town." Leo told him, drawing a sword. "You know, after we beat you last time?"

"A true hunter never let's the game go unfinished." Marlin remarked, starting to shoot at them.

Leo and Raph wasted no time leaping out of the way of the gun shots as they worked their way up to him by bouncing from pipe to pipe. While they were keeping him distracted, Donnie, Mikey, and Lisa went down to the catwalk to free Leatherhead.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey called out. "You ok?"

Leatherhead slowly looked up to see Mikey standing over him.

"M-Michelangelo?" He let out. "You're ok."

"You bet I am buddy." Mikey reassured, wrapping his kusarigama chain around him. "Now let's get you out of there."

Back with Leo and Raph, the two finally made it up to the ledge where Marlin was. Before they could move towards him though, a new series of bullets came at them from the side. The two turtles quickly moved out of the way, seeing Marlin's robot, Alemia firing at them.

"Who invited R2D2?" Raph remarked, throwing a sai right at the robot.

The contact caused the robot to spark a bit before exploding.

"Amelia!" Marlin cried out. "Ya reptilian bastards! Y'all pay fer that!"

Marlin continued shooting at the turtles, but they easily evaded the bullets.

"Go help the others with Leatherhead." Leo told Raph. "I'll take care of the Crocodile Hunter."

Raph nodded and leapt down to the catwalk, where Donnie, Mikey, and Lisa were still trying to pull LH up. Raph came up and grabbed hold of the chain, pulling with all his might. Finally, the four of them pulled Leatherhead onto the catwalk. Donnie and Raph took out their weapons and cut Leatherhead free of his bonds as Mikey retracted his chain.

Back with Leo and Marlin, the blue turtle leapt into the air and kicked the gun out of Marlin;s hands.

"Betsy!" Marlin yelled as the gun landed on the catwalk.

Marlin just sneered at Leo as he drew a machete.

"Figured you would have remembered from last time." Leo remarked.

"Oh I remember ya, freak!" Marlin shouted, gripping his machete. "And when I'm through with ya, y'all wish ya never heard ah me!"

Marlin just charged at Leo, swinging his weapon. Leo clashed blades with him before kicking him off the ledge and onto the catwalk. He groaned in pain as he got up before noticing his gun right next to him. He grabbed it, not realizing it was sparking, and aimed it at the others.

"No escape this time." Marlin threatened.

Donnie saw the sparking gun and immediately flipped out.

"Marlin, are you nuts?!" he shrieked. "Fire that thing and we all go up!"

"If I'm goin down, then I might as well take you freaks with me!" Marlin declared.

Leatherhead's eyes went white as he charged at the hunter, tackling him and causing them both to tumble off the catwalk.

"LEATHERHEAD!" Mikey cried as he ran to the edge.

Lisa ran over to the edge, shooting her tongue down and wrapping it around Leatherhead's ankle as Marlin fell into the water below. His gun then exploded after a few seconds, causing a small geyser of water to shoot up. The force on Lisa's tongue nearly sent her tumbling down, but all four turtles quickly grabbed her to keep her steady.

"Ah 'ot im!" Lisa called out, her voice muffled do to her outstretched tongue. " El e ull im up!"

Mikey quickly threw his chain down to Leatherhead and he grabbed hold of it. The two then pulled Leatherhead back up onto the catwalk. Mikey untangled his chain and Lisa retracted her tongue, though it laid limply out of her mouth due to the strain.

"You ok Lis?" Raph asked.

She nodded, giving a thumbs up.

"Jusht need to resht my tongue." she replied.

"You do that." Raph told her, wrapping his arms around her.

"How about you Leatherhead," Mikey asked. "You doin alright?"

"Now that I know you're ok Michelangelo." Leatherhead replied. "When I thought I had…"

"It's alright LH." Mikey reassured. "I'm ok, you're ok, we're all ok. Well except for that guy, but he was kinda a jerk."

"We're just glad we were able to find you before he turned you into a pair of crocodile boots." Raph remarked.

"C'mon guys." Leo declared. "Let's all get back home."

"Home…" Leatherhead let out as they all walked through the tunnels.


	46. I Got it Brawl on Tape

_Hey there. My name's Angel Bridge. I used to be a Purple Dragon, but now I'm just another ordinary middle schooler. Of course, I have some pretty extraordinary friends known as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and they're always willing to lend a hand. Whether it's saving me from getting my head crushed like a blueberry or working with me on a school project, I know I can always count on these guys._

…

In a newly refurbished subway car that served as his laboratory, Donnie was hard at work on his latest project, with Mikey standing by as his assistant.

"Pliers." He requested.

Mikey slapped a pair of pliers into his outstretched hand. He quickly took them and continued his work

"Screwdriver."

Mikey then handed his brother the screwdriver, which he also took and used accordingly.

"Pizza."

The pizza Donnie received was missing a rather large bite. The brainiac looked over at his brother, who chewed slowly while looking away in faux innocence. Donnie just put the pizza aside and continued his work.

"That… should… do it!" Donnie let out. "Alright Mikey, throw the switch!"

Mikey grinned, hunching over and taking on a slurred voice.

"Yes Master..." He replied, mimicking Igor as he threw the requested switch.

Electricity surged through cables leading to Donnie's project. It figited a bit with the amount of power coursing through it. Finally the power died. It layed still at first, but then its eyes flashed open. It slowly sat up, much to the surprise and delight of the two turtles.

"It's alive." Donnie marveled in a mad scientist voice. "It's alive!"

Just then, Raph grabbed Donnie's goggles and released them, causing them to smack in the face.

"Ow!" the purple turtle yelped.

"Dial it back, Donnie." Raph told him. "You're fixing your walking toaster, not making a monster."

"Sorry, I always wanted to say that." Donnie apologized before clearing his throat. "Gentlemen, I give you, the new and improved Metalhead!"

Metalhead sat up on Donnie's operating table, twisting himself before jumping down with a loud clang. He faced the turtles, giving them all a thumbs up.

"It's great seeing the little guy back in action." Mikey commented. "Even if he did grab my face a lot."

"Fortunately, I fixed that little bug." Donnie reassured. "Now, he's the perfect lab assistant, and he also acts as an early warning system for our security perimeter. Anyone tries to sneak in, and he'll know it."

Metalhead nodded in affirmation.

"Hate to burst your bubble, but I think you still got some kinks to work out." A young, female voice declared from behind the turtles.

The turtles whipped around, readying their weapons, to see Angel standing before them. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder and a grin on her face.

"Hey guys." she greeted them, waving slightly.

"Angel?" Leo let out as they all lowered their weapons. "What are you doing here?"

"How the shell did you find this place?" Donnie asked.

"I found this place because Mikey texted me your new address." she answered.

The other turtles turned to Mikey, who gave a shrug.

"What? She's our friend." He argued. "Besides, if Raph can tell Lisa we're here, then can't I tell Angel?"

"Leave me out of this!" Lisa called from the living room.

"So, what brings you by?" Donnie asked as they put their weapons away.

"Well, I was actually hoping you'd be willing to help me out with something." she replied, setting her backpack on the ground in front of her as she rummaged through it. "You see, now that I'm back in school, I have a lot, and I mean ALOT of school work to catch on. Luckily, my biology teacher is willing to give me extra credit, for a price."

She pulled out a video camera from her backpack.

"I have to create a documentary about a fictional species living in New York." she explained. "I have to talk about their habitat, dietary needs, natural predators, the whole shebang."

"And let me guess," Raph spoke up. "You figured you do it on the rare, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, right?"

" _Turturem Bellatorem_ to be precise." Angel corrected. "Translates to Warrior Turtle. Apparently, there's no latin word for Ninja according to Google Translate."

"Huh, who knew." Mikey remarked.

"Being put on film?" Leo pondered. "Kinda something we actively try to avoid."

"Hey, I already thought of that." Angel assured them. "We ditch your gear, make sure to film somewhere far from here. Maybe your old lair just to be safe. Plus, I'll have lens cap on at all times unless filming, just in case."

"Hmm…." Leo thought. "I… suppose. Though we might need to run it past Master Splinter first."

"Great!" Angel let out happily. "Let's go talk to Splinter!"

...

Angel sat in front on Splinter, the camera in her lap and a hopeful smile on her face.

"So that's the plan." She explained, putting on her best begging eyes. "So can we? Please?"

Splinter stroked his goatee in contemplation.

"Hmm...very well." Splinter allowed. "But, every detail must be made to look fake. We cannot risk a trace of realism to be seen."

"Yes!" Angel cheered, jumping to her feet and wrapping her arms around the rat. "Thank you!"

"You are quite welcome." Splinter replied, returning the hug with an arm.

"So… maybe I could get you in one of the shots?" she tried, releasing him and picking up her camera hopefully. "Interactions with outside species is an added five points."

"No." Splinter replied bluntly.

Before she could ask again, he ushered her out of the room, shutting the door in her face. She sagged visibly.

"Hey, at least you have us." Mikey reassured. "And if you need other species interactions, I'm sure we can get some footage of Raph and Lisa making out."

Raph wasted no time smacking him on the back of the head.

"What?" Mikey asked. "What if Angel needs footage of Turtle Warrior mating rituals?"

Raph just smacked him on the head again.

"I'll be quiet." Mikey promised.

…

In the ruined remains of Foot Headquarters, Karai sat at her father's old desk. She looked downright pissed as she stared down at a set of Foot warriors cowering before her.

"Nothing?!" she exclaimed, slamming her hands down on the desk. "For weeks you've been searching, and you've found nothing?!"

"Forgive us Mistress Karai." one Foot Ninja apologized. "We've done everything we can to-"

"Well obviously it's not enough!" Karai snapped. "Those freaks dragged the name of the Foot through the mud. They decimated our forces, destroyed our headquarters, then they slaughtered the Shredder! They deserve to suffer for the rest of their miserable lives for what they've done!"

"While I do agree," Nakumo spoke, stepping out of the shadows. "Don't you think you're going about this all wrong?"

"What do you mean, Nakumo?" Karai practically snarled.

"While the turtles do deserve to die, the Foot itself is in most need of our attention." Nakumo told her.

"The Foot has endured for centuries, I'm certain in can survive a few more weeks." Karai argued.

"But with the Shredder gone, his forces will be thrown into chaos." Nakumo reasoned. "Every crime lord and villain will want to seize control of his empire. Undo everything we've worked for. We need to establish a sense of continuity to show this city we still have control."

"What we need to do is avenge my father's death." Karai declared. "While those turtles draw breath, they will stop at nothing to destroy us. If the Foot Clan is to thrive once more, then they must perish first."

"History has proven the turtles hard to kill." Nakumo reminded. "I think they can wait while the Foot restructures itself. You are heir to the Foot, so I suggest you act like it."

"You want me to act like it?" Karai snapped, drawing her tanto and aiming the blade right under Nakumo's chin. "Maybe I should start by cutting out your tongue for daring to tell me what to do!"

Nakumo stood still for a few moments, unphased by the blade near his throat.

"Very well." Nakumo relented. "Do what you feel is right."

"I don't need your permission for that." Karai growled, sheathing her blade before taking her seat. "Now leave, while I still allow it."

Nakumo nodded before turning around and leaving. Karai watched him go, then returned her attention to the foot soldiers before her.

"And you, get back out there and find the turtles!" She ordered. "Track their friends, stake out their favorite restaurants, whatever it takes! And don't come back without results!"

The Foot Ninja bowed in response, then went out to complete their task.

…

Inside the turtles' old lair, the turtles positioned themselves as Angel set up the camera.

"Just about got it." Angel let out. "You guys ready?"

"Ready for my close up, Ms. Director." Mikey called back.

Angel rolled her eyes before turning to her cameraman, Metalhead.

"Ready?" she asked the robot.

Metalhead gave a thumbs up to Angel, which she happily returned.

"And… action!" she called.

The camera began rolling and Angel began narrating.

"We're here in the New York City sewer system, looking in on four of the rarest creatures known to mankind." she declared, keeping her voice low like people doing animal documentaries do. "These four creatures are what are known as _Turturem Bellatorem_ , or warrior turtles." she continued. "They are called this because of their ability to mimic human fighting styles."

The camera panned up to show the turtles doing fake looking versions of their fighting moves to make it seem less real. During this fake fight, Mikey accidentally bapped Raph in the face, much to the turtle's annoyance. He responded by casually kicking him in the gut, causing Mikey to stumble back a bit.

"Uh-oh." Angel narrated. "It seems that we're witnessing the natural pecking order of this band of _Turturem Bellatorem_. It is quite common for the smallest of their species to attempt to assert dominance, but they are almost always shut down."

Raph took that as permission to retaliate more as he grabbed Mikey, picked him up and threw him onto the ground, causing the orange turtle to grunt in response.

"And it would seem this time is no different." Angel concluded. "Cut!"

Mikey sat up, rubbing his back in pain.

"What the shell was that for, Raph?"

"Just trying to make it look realistic." Raph replied.

"I thought the point was to make it NOT look realistic." Mikey groaned.

"You know what I mean." Raph responded. "Besides, it not like I was trying that hard to hurt you."

Mikey grumbled in annoyance, then his stomach made a similar sound. Angel grinned at that.

"Alright, looks like it's time for the next segment." she declared. "I'll go and get some pizza so we can do the dietary portion of the video."

"Aw yeah, pizza!" Mikey cheered.

"Figures you'd enjoy that part." Donnie remarked.

"Don't go anywhere, guys." Angel insisted. "I'll be right back."

…

On the surface, a pair of Foot Ninja were perched on the rooftop across from Antonio's pizzeria. Coming out of the pizzeria was Angel, carrying a stack of pizza boxes on her palm. One of the ninja's looked at her through a pair of binoculars, then over at his partner.

"That's Angel Bridge." He reported. "Known turtle associate."

"With the amount of pizza she's got, she's gotta be meeting the turtles." The second ninja reasoned.

"I'll tail her, you report this to Mistress Karai." the first one decided.

The ninja nodded before taking off. The first ninja leapt across the rooftops, following Angel's movements. He followed her right over to the old warehouse leading down into the destroyed lair.

Unbeknownst to both Angel and the Foot, a third party of people noticed Angel strolling down the street.

"Angel?" One guy let out. "I thought she got axed off months ago."

"Man, Hun is gonna flip when he hears about this." a second guy commented.

"No kidding." the first guy agreed. "Come on."

With that, the two Purple Dragons went off to tell their boss about their former comrade.

…

"Pizza's here!" Angel declared.

"Aw yeah!" Mikey cried out running towards her.

She immediately held it up out of reach, holding him back with her free hand.

"Uh-uh, not yet." she chastised. "Not until the next shoot."

"Fine." Mikey replied in a grumpy tone.

She tossed the pizzas into the center of the room before turning to Metalhead.

"Ready?" she called out to him.

Metalhead gave another thumbs up, signaling that he was ready.

"And… action!" Angel called.

The second she called action, Mikey pounced on the pizza like a feral animal. Raph quickly jumped in as well, Donnie and Leo pulling up the rear. Once they began, Angel dutifully began her narration.

"A life in New York city's sewers leave very few choices for a diet." Angel began. "Lucky for these turtles, they have discovered a NYC specialty loved by all: Pizza."

Metalhead zoomed in on the turtles scarfing down the pizza, much like they had when they first tasted the dish oh so long ago. Unbeknownst to any of them, the camera was not the only thing watching them. One of the Foot Ninja stalked them from a short distance away, his eyes drifting down to the camera metalhead was holding.

"Mealtime is a constant struggle for these creatures." Angel continued. "They fight over every morsel of food, desperate to survive."

She nodded, then grinned.

"Cut!" she called out before turning around towards the turtles. "Now shove over guys! You better have saved me a slice!"

As Angel walked over to the turtles, the ninja dashed towards Metalhead. In a surprise move for the ninja, Metalhead's torso turned around and his hand turned into a blaster. The robot then began shooting at the ninja, causing him to leap out of the way. The sound of the blasts drew the attention of the turtles and Angel. Leo had Angel behind him in a split second, all four of them cursing the fact that they were unarmed and gearless.

"How the shell did this Foot bozo find us?" Raph asked.

"Could he have followed Angel?" Mikey questioned.

"Doesn't matter." Leo stepped in. "Let's just take him down."

"Uh, earth to Leo, we don't have our stuff." Raph reminded him.

"Come on Raph, it's just one Foot Ninja." Mikey reminded. "We can take this guy out easy."

Just then, Karai and several more foot ninja came crashing into the lair, all of them armed to the teeth.

"You just had to say something." Angel quipped.

"Donnie, go get our stuff." Leo told him. "We'll hold them off for as long as we can."

"Right." Donnie replied before taking off.

"Leonardo!" Karai shouted. "I should have known I would find you and your treacherous brethren lurking in the sewers again."

"What can we say, the rent is cheap down here." Leo remarked.

Karai just snorted, looking around the trashed lair before her eyes landed on Angel.

"Ah, the mole amongst the dragons." She recalled. "I knew I made a good call sparing your life. Now you've lead me right to my most hated enemies!"

"It wasn't on purpose, believe me." Angel quipped.

"Karai, wait." Leo said, stepping forward. "You wanna fight us fine. But can you honestly allow yourself to strike down unarmed opponents. Doesn't sound very honorable to me."

Karai just glared at Leo for a moment.

"No, it doesn't." she conceded. "Unlike you freaks, I know what honor means."

Leo grimaced at that. That's when the ninja chasing Metalhead finally managed to secure the camera, peeling it from the robot's metal hands.

"However, I'm not above using incentive to get what I want." She added, taking the camera.

"My film!" Angel let out.

"Give that back Karai!" Mikey demanded. "She needs it for a school project!"

"What's on this video?" Karai wondered, opening it up.

Once the videos started playing, her face lit up and she began laughing hard.

"Oh my God!" She laughed hysterically. "What is this?!"

"None of your business, ninja lady." Raph remarked.

"I can't believe you freaks would willingly allow yourselves to be videotaped!" Karai let out. "What if anyone saw this?"

She mulled over her own words, then grinned.

"What if someone leaked this to the Mayor?" she suggested. "Or maybe the police? Let them see that there are freaks living right under their very noses."

"You wouldn't." Leo spoke.

"Oh I will." Karai promised. "I hope you freaks enjoy being New York's public enemy number 1."

As Karai continued talking, Leo saw Donnie approaching from behind Karai, carrying their equipment. As Karai prepared to throw down a smoke bomb, a throwing star whizzed by and cut into it, causing it to go off in her face. Leo seized the opportunity to dash towards Karai and kick her in the chest, grabbing the camera as it flew through the air.

"Let's get out of here!" Leo declared.

"After them!" Karai demanded.

Leo quickly grabbed Angel as they ran down the tunnel, with Donnie handing the others their gear as they went. Angel took her camera, seeing an opportunity and turning it back on.

"Now we witness the natural enemy of the Warrior Turtles." she began.

"Now?" Raph asked. "You're doing this now?"

"Just trust me, Raph." She hissed before returning to her narration. "These beings are the Foot Clan, predators that will stop at nothing to eradicate the Warrior turtles."

As the turtles rounded a corner, they came up against a dead end.

"Aw crud." Raph let out.

"We make our stand here." Leo decided, setting Angel down and turning around. "Get ready turtles."

The turtles took a fighting stance as Karai and the Foot rounded the corner. The kunoichi stared down her prey with fiery determination and a lust for revenge. Angel took up a hiding spot behind some rubble, aiming her camera right at the two groups.

"And now, the battle for the warrior turtle's survival begins." she said softly.

"Foot, attack!" Karai ordered.

With that, the Foot Ninja charged at the turtles, who easily blocked their first attacks. Donnie used his staff to bash one Foot Ninja away before blocking another ninja's sword. Raph caught two swords in his sai before breaking the blades and doing a split kick on them. Leo clashed swords with one ninja before ducking under a blade strike and hitting him on the head with his hilt. Mikey just leapt behind a ninja and bashed him like a piniata with his nunchucks. As Mikey noticed a ninja coming from behind him, he quickly spun around and kicked him in the chest taking him out.

The ninja spun out, colliding right with a Purple Dragon punk. Angel saw the dragon and quickly ducked out of sight, keeping her camera rolling.

"Uh-oh, more of the turtle's natural predators." she hissed. "Purple dragons."

"Foot goons and Purple Dragons?" Raph let out. "What is this, a bad guy palooza?"

"Heard that an angel fell from heaven." Dragon Face declared, slapping a pipe against his palm.

"You know, if you're desperate for a date, there are websites for that." Mikey remarked spinning his nunchucks under his arms.

"Funny." Dragon Face replied sarcastically.

"Dragon Face!" Karai called out. "You and your dragons help me destroy these turtles, and you will be greatly rewarded."

"Sounds pretty good, but the Purple Dragons don't work for you no more." Dragon Face told her.

This floored everyone, the turtles and Foot all started in surprise. Even Angel seemed thrown.

"It seems that there's competition between the two predators." She whispered.

"What is the meaning of this… treason?!" Karai shrieked.

"Nothin' personal." Dragon Face assured her. "Hun's just decidin' that it's time for a change."

"Well then I guess I'll take it up with Hun, after I sever all your heads!" Karai declared.

"You know, you guys look like you could use some time to work this out." Mikey remarked. "Why don't we leave you to it and-"

Before Mikey could finish, both Purple Dragons and Foot Ninja charged at both each other and the turtles. Dragon and Foot clashed together in a mad frenzy. The turtles found themselves clashing with one dragon and ninja after another. Leo clashed swords with three ninjas at once, none of them letting up on him. The three brought their swords down on him all at once, causing Leo to crouch down, blocking the swords. He finally sprang up, shoving the ninjas back, and spin kicked the three ninjas in the head, knocking them to the ground.

Raph punched out one purple dragon before turning around and kicking another in the head. He then grabbed on that was charging at him, picked him up into the air, and threw him at a horde of ninja coming at him, causing them all to crash to the ground.

Donnie spun his staff as three dragons and two ninjas moved towards him. He quickly planted his staff on the ground and vaulted over them and landed right behind them. He quickly spun around and bashed the three dragons in the face with his staff. The two ninja ducked under the strike before drawing their swords and striking at him. Donnie quickly blocked both strikes with his staff, forcing him to drop to a knee. Thinking fast, Donnie dropped to his shell and used his feet to kick the ninja over him and onto the ground.

"Yikes!" Mikey let out, bouncing away from one strike after another. "Anyone else feeling like we're in trouble here?!"

"I felt like that the second the Foot Princess showed up!" Raph snapped, weaving out of the way of a Dragon attempting to bash him with a pipe.

Metalhead meanwhile was bashing and blasting every ninja and dragon near him. He then launched his fists at the opponents, knocking them down one by one. Donnie watched the fists return without any trouble, unable to keep a smile off his face.

"Glad that bug's fixed." he whispered as he went toe to toe with a ninja weilding a bo staff of his own.

"I think Mikey and Raph might be onto something." Leo concurred, split kicking two dragons. "We have to get out of here!"

"We can't!" Donnie reminded him. "Not without losing our friend."

He gestured secretly to Angel's hiding place, where so far she had remained unnoticed.

"Any ideas on that?" Leo asked.

"I do!" Mikey replied running in front of the two armies. "A! B! See ya!"

Mikey then threw down one smoke bomb to the ground after another, engulfing the tunnels in smoke. Karai, the Foot, and the dragons covered their eyes and mouths as the turtles snuck off into one of the side tunnels. Leo even grabbed Angel, throwing her over his shoulder as they all ran off with Metalhead trailing behind.

"Now we see a defensive measure the creatures are quite fond of using." Angel concluded. "A special smelling gas that blinds and disorients their opponents, allowing them to escape."

"Angel, you can stop recording now." Donnie told her.

"Yeah, I think you can count on an 'A' for your class." Mikey reassured.

She turned off the camera, giving them all a thumbs up.

"Right, thanks guys." she told them. "Let's get back before those idiots come to."

…

Donnie sat in front of his computer, going over the final product of Angel's film. There had been a great deal of editing involved, including a lot of dialogue being removed and incriminating shots being edited.

"And that should do it." Donnie announced.

Splinter glanced over the final product as well, his approval necessary for the video to leave the lair. Angel sat in her seat anxiously as he watched it.

"Well?" she asked. "What do you think?"

Splinter stroked his goatee in contemplation.

"I am impressed." Splinter replied. "You have managed to succeed in your endeavors to make our family look as fake as possible."

"Thanks." Angel complimented. "Though I still wish you could have made a cameo appearance."

"There are limits to what movie magic could change." Splinter replied.

Angel sighed, then took the flash drive with the video.

"Thanks again for all the help." she told Donnie. "I'll let you know what my final grade is."

"Sounds good." Donnie replied.

With that, Angel made her way out of the lair.

"So, what do you think the deal with the Dragons and the Foot was?" Mikey asked.

"I don't know," Leo admitted. "But I have a feeling that this was only the beginning."

…

At Purple Dragon Headquarters, Dragon Face and the others returned and went before Hun who was sitting at his desk.

"Hey boss." Dragon Face greeted. "We didn't find the brat, and the turtles escaped. However, we were able to deliver your message to Karai."

"Well that's something at least." Hun replied. "I was willing to serve under the Shredder, but there is no way the Purple Dragons are going to take orders from some spoiled brat! It's the Purple Dragons' time to fly."

…

"Damnit!" Karai screamed as she pounded her fists on her desk. "I had them! I had them all!"

"I warned you going after them would be troubling." Nakumo told her. "Now the Purple Dragons are revolting against us. It's only a matter of time before others follow suit."

"Goddamnit..." she cursed. "This can't go on..."

"The Foot can't keep sparing forces for your witch hunt." Nakumo told her. "Now, are you ready to put things in their proper priority now?"

Karai let out a sigh of resentment.

"Fine…" She spoke. "I'll kill them myself."

With that, Karai got up from her desk and walked out of the room, leaving an irritated Nakumo standing there.

"Foolish child." he snarled. "She will lead this clan into ruin..."


	47. Trial By Combat

_My name is Leonardo, and I have lived my life believing that words like truth and honor are more than just words. They are ideals, ways of live that shape who we are._

 _The hardest part of living your life by honor, is dealing with those without it. That is when you need to stand your ground and stand for what you believe in_

 _Even if it costs you your life…_

…

April's training to become a kunoichi was far from easy. She knew that going in. What she didn't count on was balancing on three foot poles.

"Remember April," Splinter instructed. "The way of balance is a key aspect of a ninja. Mind and body must work as one to achieve it."

She was shaking heavily, trying to keep balance while forcing down a small amount of panic.

"How do you do this?" she questioned. "I'm afraid I'm going to fall flat on my face."

"It is a skill that takes years of practice to master." Splinter told her.

April looked over and saw Leo and Raph leaping on poles three times the height of her own with little to no effort in keeping balance.

"Mostly fifteen to sixteen." Splinter added.

"Oh yeah!" Raph cheered. "Can't catch me, fearless!"

"Just you wait, hothead!" Leo taunted back.

While the two were in the midst of their little bout, Mikey was dragging something out of Splinter's new room, which was an old ticket booth, and placing it in the living room. He then grabbed a stick and after getting in position, struck the object, turning out to be a gong. The resulting sound was so loud, it caused Leo and Raph to lose balance and fall off the poles. April followed soon after. The three looked up to see Mikey standing before them.

"Oh hey." He greeted. "Was I interrupting you?"

"You know darn well you were interrupting us!" Raph yelled.

"Master Splinter, why did you keep a gong when you had someone like Mikey living here?" April inquired.

"It keeps my sons on their toes." Splinter answered, flipping off of his stick and landing in front of his orange-clad son. "Though this does not absolve him of any punishment his brothers deem fitting for his actions."

"Yeah Mikey." Leo agreed. "What's so important you had to interrupt our training."

"Glad you asked, bro." Mikey replied pointing at him. "My friends, my bros, my turts. I have called you here to celebrate a momentous occasion. We are now, 'officially' moved in to our new home!"

"Right..." Raph let out. "And the last three weeks don't count because why?"

"Because, Mikey and I just unpacked the last box." Donnie added stepping forward.

Just then, a dinging from the microwave went off. Mikey then flipped into the kitchen and opened the microwave, pulling out the popped popcorn inside.

"And to celebrate this momentous occasion," Mikey ressumed. "Donnie, Lisa, and I have set up the ultimate house warming ritual. Movie night!"

"Right on!" Raph let out.

"So what are we watching?" Leo asked.

"There's… the catch." Donnie lamented. "I told Casey about our plan, and he insisted on bringing the move."

"Knowing that bonehead, he'll probably bring something stupid." Lisa noted, carrying in several bowls of popcorn.

"What?" Raph asked, taking a seat on the couch. "Fraid it's gonna be some scary monster movie?"

"Hey, I made the mistake of watching The Ring during a thunderstorm once." she countered. "Turned me off of scary movies forever."

At that moment, the door to the lair opened up, and Casey climbed down the ladder.

"Hey guys!" He greeted, landing on the ground.

"Alright Case, let's hear it." Raph spoke up. "What did you bring for our viewing pleasure?"

"Only one of the greatest all time classics of all time." Casey answered, holding up the VHS tape. "A movie so great they only remade it a gazillion times, and I got the original."

"VHS." Mikey noted. "Retro."

Casey then tossed the tape to Leo, who took it over to the player and put it in. Lisa snuggled up against Raph as Donnie scooted over to make room for Leo. Splinter took his usual spot on his recliner as April and Casey sat down on the floor. Mikey reclined on the rug, the biggest bowl of popcorn in front of him.

"Let the movie… begin." Leo announced as he pushed play.

Leo then quickly took his seat on the couch next to Donnie as the movie started. Raph raised an eyebrow as the film's western opening credits came on screen.

"A western Casey?" Raph asked. "This has to be the last thing I'd think you'd pick."

"You don't know everything about me." Casey replied.

April gasped in surprise, realizing exactly what movie this was.

"Is this _El Rio Gato_?" She asked. "I love this movie! Me and my parents used to watch it all the time."

"Me too." Casey replied. "Wasn't it great how the sheriff stared down that punk kid?"

"Shush!" Mikey violently hissed. "Spoilers!"

"Sorry." Casey whispered as they got back to watching the movie.

...

Everyone was on the edge of their seats as the end of the movie unfurled. On the screen, a young, upstart cowboy stared down an elderly sheriff, his fingers dancing over his twin pistols.

" _After I kill you old man, everyone from here to the Mississippi will know my name."_ The kid boasted.

" _Son, having people know your name isn't the most important thing."_ The old sheriff tried to reason. " _Fame and glory ain't worth fighting for, sure as hell not worth dying for."_

" _Enough talk old man!"_ the kid threw back. " _Draw on three. One… two… three!"_

With that, shots were fired, and the films viewers jumped in their seats. The kid stood triumphant for a few seconds, until he dropped to his knees and fell over dead. The sheriff just holstered his weapons, shook his head in regret, and walked off into the sunset as the credits rolled.

"Woo!" Casey let out. "Can I pick em or what?"

"Amazing." Donnie let out.

"They sure don't make em like that anymore." Leo admitted.

"Casey, I take back what I said earlier." Lisa declared. "That was a good movie."

"Man, how cool was that Sheriff Bart guy?" Mikey asked in amazement.

"Indeed." Splinter agreed. "He was akin to a samurai of the old west."

Mikey reached into his bowl for more popcorn but felt nothing. He continued feeling around in the bowl but his results remained the same. He looked over at the bowl and saw that the only thing in it was his hands.

"Awww." He let out. "The popcorns gone."

"I can't imagine where it all went." Raph remarked.

"Hey, I was hungry." Mikey replied, clutching his stomach. "And now I'm really hungry."

"Hey, I know this ice cream joint that's open all night." Lisa suggested. "Their raspberry sorbet is to die for!"

"Sweet!" Donnie let out.

"Count me in!" Raph agreed.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered.

"Hmm…" Splinter let out. "I don't know. The streets are quite dangerous with the increased gang activity."

"Please Master Splinter?" Mikey insisted.

Splinter let out a sigh, though he was smiling slightly.

"Very well." he allowed. "But I am coming too. I am craving a double thick ice cream shake."

…

The Battle Shell cruised down the streets of the city, following Lisa's instructions to the ice cream shop that she mentioned previously. Unbeknownst to them however, a lone figure stood vigil over them, a ratty hood obscuring his face from view.

"Finally, I have found him." The man said to himself. "And soon… my revenge will be complete."

…

As the mutants waited in the back, April and Casey returned with everyone's ice cream orders.

"Alright, we have a double thick vanilla shake for Master Splinter." April listed off, passing the rat his cold beverage. "Then we have a raspberry sorbet cone for Lisa."

"Double scoop sorbet for Raph." Casey began, handing over the cone. "Vanilla cup for Leo and a mint chocolate chip for Donnie."

"And finally, a triple scoop hot fudge sundae with extra whip cream and cherries for Mikey." April concluded, the orange clad turtles practically snatching the treat from her hands.

"Sweet!" Mikey let out.

Everyone dug into their treats soon after.

"Man, I still can't get over how great that movie was." Leo shared.

"Yeah, but one thing I don't get," Raph voiced. "How did Sheriff Bart beat the kid to the draw, when the kid had the better skills?"

"It is because the young gunslinger fought only for himself, while the Sheriff fought to protect his home." Splinter offered up. "Of course, part of it may simply have been because the movie required a happy ending."

"Yeah, but that takes the fun out of it." Mikey interjected.

"Still, statistically speaking, the odds against him were about ten to one." Donnie surmised.

"Hey for an old timer, he was pretty quick on the draw." Leo added. "In fact i-"

He went silent, turning on his heels and catching a kunai knife seconds before it would have struck him. There was a long red tassel hanging off of it, which fluttered in the wind.

"Holy-!" Lisa exclaimed before Raph covered her mouth.

"Who threw that?" Donnie hissed, everyone drawing their weapons.

"Think it's the Foot?" Raph asked, gripping his sai.

"Aw geez, can't we get a break from those guys?" Mikey asked.

Splinter grabbed the kunai knife and examined it, recognizing its purpose.

"I have seen this kind of knife before." He let out.

"So this is the Foot?" Leo asked.

"Yes, but it is not an attack." Splinter explained. "It is a challenge."

As if to prove Splinter right, a figure dropped down from the rooftop, landing in front on the group.

"Leonardo Splinterson!" The figure declared. "At last, we meet."

"Should I know you?" Leo asked, gripping his sword.

The figure came out of the shadows and dropped his hood, revealing a bald man with a mustache. Splinter recognized him instantly.

"Master Hadori?" He let out.

"Sensei, you know this guy?" Raph asked.

"Hadori Tatsu." Splinter revealed. "He was one of the teachers of the Foot Clan before I left. What are you doing here?"

"I have come to reclaim the honor that was stolen from me!" Tatsu explained.

"Why would coming after me help with that?" Leo asked. "I don't even know you!"

"You misunderstand my meaning, boy." Tatsu clarified. "My honor, my dignity, everything was taken from me by an old student of mine. Oroku Saki."

"Shredder." Leo let out.

"Indeed." Tatsu confirmed. "When he became Grand Master of the Foot, he saw my teachings as obsolete, and exiled me from the Foot. I have spent the last fifteen years sharpening my skills so that I may fight him and reclaim all that was taken from me, but you stole that chance away from me, when you slayed the Shredder in combat. Now I shall battle you in his place. I challenge you to Trial by Combat!"

"And if I refuse?" Leo questioned.

"... then the lives of you and your loved ones are forfeit." Tatsu answered.

"That's it!" Raph yelled running towards him.

Tatsu quickly drew a sword and blocked Raph's sai strike. He then spun behind him and elbowed him in the back of the head, sending him colliding with the wall. Donnie came up next and tried swinging his staff at him, but he quickly ducked under it and used both his fists to strike him in the chest, sending him to the ground. Lisa quickly jumped onto the wall, climbing up a distance before shooting her tongue at him. At the same time Mikey extended his chain and tried throwing it at him. Surprisingly, he caught both the tongue and the chain quite easily. He then pulled on them, causing the two to end up colliding with one another, tongue and chain entangling them both.

"I expected more from students of yours, Chung Li." Tatsu told him.

"This guy is serious, isn't he?" Leo asked.

"I'm afraid so." Splinter answered. "The choice is yours and yours alone my son."

"Except for one thing Sensei," Leo replied. "There is no choice. I'll fight you Tatsu."

"Excellent." Tatsu responded. "We will do battle in 24 hours time, and to make sure you do not try to back out of our duel…"

He darted forward, grabbing April around the waist and throwing her over his shoulder.

"APRIL!" Both Casey and Donnie shouted in unison.

Before either could react, Tatsu vaulted up a nearby building, standing on the roof to look down at them all.

"We will do battle where you slayed Oroku Saki!" Tatsu declared. "Be there, Leonardo, or your friend will suffer the consequences."

He then threw a smoke bomb at his feet, disappearing in the resulting cloud with April.

"We have to save her!" Donnie cried out.

"We're not in any position to fight, Don." Raph pointed out, gesturing over to a still tangled Mikey and Lisa.

"And should we attack before the appointed time of the duel," Splinter added. "He would no doubt kill April."

"So I really do have no choice but to fight him." Leo deduced.

Splinter place a paw on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"I am sorry, my son." he said remorsefully.

Leo became a bit worried for a second. He then took a breath and stood firm.

"If it's a fight he wants, then it's a fight he's gonna get!" He declared.

...

April sat in front of a small tea table in the old Foot Headquarters. Tatsu milled about in front of her, performing katas in preparation for his upcoming duel. April watched him, then took a deep breath.

"You didn't have to take me hostage." She informed him. "Leo is an honorable warrior. He would not have backed out of your challenge."

"I couldn't take the chance." Tatsu responded. "Honor is a rare commodity these days."

"Clearly you've been associating with the wrong ninjas." April remarked. "Listen, Oroku Saki is dead. You shouldn't force Leo to pay for his crimes."

"Saki's end was meant to be at my hand." Tatsu insisted. "This is the only way my honor in the Foot can be restored."

"But the Foot isn't the honorable ninja clan it used to be." April insisted. "You shouldn't let them define you, or your honor. You should try and start your own path, forge your own destiny, and restore your own honor."

"Your naivety is amusing Ms. O'Neil," Tatsu complimented. "If not...misguided."

He then resumed his katas, leaving April to her thoughts.

…

Back in the turtles lair, Leo was spending his time training for his upcoming battle. He went up against a rotating dummy, blocking and striking with incredible speed and ferocity. He was breathing a bit heavily, but he didn't let that distract him from the task he was preparing for.

Meanwhile, Donnie and Casey were both pacing around anxiously, the two of them worried sick about April.

"Will you two knock it off." Raph told them. "You're starting to make 'me' nervous."

"Hey, can you blame us?" Casey asked.

"Yeah," Donnie agreed. "There's a psycho ninja out there doing who knows what to my April."

The others just looked at him in confusion. Even Leo halted his training for a moment in surprise.

"Our April…" Donnie corrected, but didn't change the looks he was getting. "April."

"I do not believe Tatsu will harm her." Splinter reassured. "No doubt she is merely a means of assurance that Leonardo will meet him."

"Well he won't have to worry about that!" Leo declared, resuming his training.

He then kicked the top part of the dummy off, sending it flying across the room.

"I just can't believe this is happening." Leo lamented. "If I hadn't taken Shredder out, Tatsu would have had no reason to-"

"Hey, no one here is blaming you." Raph told him. "Especially when it comes to taking out the Shredder."

"You had no idea Tatsu even existed," Splinter reassured. "Much less what he would do."

"You're right." Leo conceded. "What matters is taking this clown down and getting our friend back."

"Now you're talking." Raph replied.

…

For the rest of the day, the two warriors trained almost nonstop. Soon, night fell, and the appointed time came. Tatsu and April waited in the old Foot Headquarters, the latter lighting up as Leo and the rest of his family (plus Lisa) arrived.

"Leo!" she called out.

"Hey April." Leo greeted. "Alright Tatsu I'm here. Let her go."

"Gladly." Tatsu replied. "My quarrel is with you."

April got to her feet, running towards the group.

"April!" Casey and Donnie let out at the same time.

They both embraced her, and she returned their dual hug in kind. With April safe once more, Leo stepped forward, drawing his swords.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Tatsu." he insisted.

"Yes it does." Tatsu replied, drawing his own swords. "And now that you are here, my years of exile and humiliation will finally be at an end!"

"You want a fight," Leo challenged. "You got one!"

With that, Tatsu dashed forward, clashing swords with Leo. Leo struggled a bit before shoving Tatsu off. The two then continued to clash swords in a mad frenzy of sparks and metal. Thinking fast, Tatsu kicked Leo in the stomach, causing him to fall back before rolling backwards onto his feet just as Tatsu came up again. He quickly blocked a sword heading for him. Leo quickly swept Tatsu's feet out from under him and tried bringing his foot down on his face. Tatsu quickly rolled out of the way of the foot before getting back to his feet and clashing swords with him again.

"Go Leo!" Mikey cried out.

"Kick his butt!" Raph told him.

Leo continued blocking Tatsu's strikes, not slowing down for even a moment. Leo blocked one sword high before blocking the second one low. The two struggled in a sword lock for a few moments.

"You're good." Leo told him. "I'll give you that. Maybe we can call it a draw?"

"You think you are my better?" Tatsu asked.

"I think you're angry and confused." Leo replied. "Call off this duel. Please."

"Fool!" Tatsu let out. "It was by mere luck you were able to kill the Shredder. What chance have you against the man who trained him?"

"You'd be surprised." Leo told him before shoving him away.

Leo then wasted no time running towards Tatsu and bringing both his swords down on one of his, shattering it.

"Stop this now!"

"Deluded child, didn't Chung Li teach you anything?" Tatsu snapped. "A ninja that relies on one weapon alone is weak! I have mastered many forms of combat, and have brought many forms of weaponry!"

Tatsu then reached into his belt and pulled teko kage claw. He tried swinging it at Leo's head, forcing the blue turtle to duck. Tatsu then tried stabbing him with his sword, but Leo back flipped out of the way.

"Yikes." Leo let out.

"Careful, Leonardo!" Splinter warned. "His style is different from Shredder's!"

"Thanks for the heads up!" Leo called back, dancing around Tatsu's strikes.

The two continued duking it out, not realizing that both were moving dangerously close to the edge of the building. Tatsu picked up on this and threw a smoke bomb right at their feet, blinding Leo. Tatsu took advantage of this and kicked Leo towards the edge, causing him to drop his swords. As Leo tried to pick himself up, Tatsu stood over him. Reacting quickly, Leo sprang up and grabbed Tatsu's wrists, wrestling with the ninja for a bit.

"Truly pathetic!" Tatsu exclaimed, shoving Leo off the edge.

"LEO!" Everyone cried out.

Leo tumbled for a short while, then stabbed the edge of the building with the teko kage claw he grabbed off of Tatsu. The blades pierced the side of the building, slowing his descent. Finally, he came to a complete stop. Leo caught his breath for a minute before climbing back up the building using the claw.

"Ok, they maybe popular among psychopaths," Leo said to himself. "But I have got to get me a pair of these."

Back on top, Tatsu stood in triumph as the others looked on in horror.

"It is done." Tatsu said.

"Leo…" Mikey let out.

"How could you?" Lisa asked him.

"It was… necessary." Tatsu answered.

"Necessary?!" Raph exclaimed, about to charge at him but Casey and Splinter held him back. "I'll show you necessary!"

"Hold it Raph." Leo's voice called out.

Everyone turned to see Leo climbing back onto the roof.

"I'm not done with him just yet." Leo finished.

"Leo!" Everyone yelled joyously.

"My son." Splinter let out.

"What?!" Tatsu exclaimed.

"Sorry to disappoint," Leo told him. "But we have a duel to finish."

Feeling enraged, Tatsu yelled in fury before throwing several throwing stars at the blue clad turtle. Leo quickly leapt into the air and used his claw to deflect most of them. Once he landed, he charged at Tautsu, who drew his katana and clashed it at Leo's claw. Tatsu then shoved Leo off, slashing at him over and over again. As Leo backed away with each strike, he felt his foot connect with one of his fallen katana. He quickly used his foot to kick it up into his hand, grabbing it before striking Tatsu in the face with its hilt. Tatsu stumbled backwards as Leo quickly kicked the sword out of his hand before punching and kicking him repeatedly until finally, Tatsu fell to the ground. Tatsu groaned in pain as he slowly raised his head to see Leo standing over him.

"Looks like you lost." Leo remarked, smirking.

"Go on, finish it then." Tatsu told him. "I'd rather perish with honor than live in shame."

Leo stood over him for a few moments, until finally, he put his katana back in its sheath.

"No." He told him.

"What?!" Tatsu let out.

"I don't want to." Leo replied, discarding the claw. "You fought well though. It's ok."

Leo walked away from him to reclaim his other sword, leaving Tatsu in a bit of an confused state. That confusion soon gave way to anger he got back on his feet.

"Finish me!" He demanded. "Do not leave me the way he did!"

"No, Tatsu." Leo told him. "You should choose your own path from here. Not me, and sure as shell not Shredder. This fight ends now."

"No!" Tatsu yelled running at him.

Tatsu tackled him to the ground and the two struggled for a bit. Leo kicked him away causing him to tumble off the edge. He quickly grabbed onto the ledge before he fell as Leo ran over to him.

"Give me your hand!" Leo told him.

Tatsu looked down at the ground before turning back to Leo. His gaze hardened, then he closed his eyes, and let go of the ledge.

"Tatsu!" Leo screamed, reaching for him before turning away, cringing as Tatsu hit the ground. "No..."

Splinter walked over to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I am sorry, Leonardo." Splinter told him. "He made his choice."

"I know Sensei." Leo replied.

"Why'd he do that?" Mikey questioned, looking over the edge before flinching hard.

The others went over to Leo and Splinter, the turtles wrapping their arms around their brother with Lisa just standing off to the side.

"It wasn't your fault, bro." Raph told him. "That guy chose to let go."

"I know…" Leo responded. "I just wish I could have helped him."

"What's done is done." Splinter told them. "All we can do now… is go home."

Reluctantly, they all turned and walked away as sirens approached the building.


	48. Rise of the Rat King

_I am called Splinter, and for many years now, I have walked a fine line. A line that separates me from being a man, and being an animal. For the most part, I would like to say that my more human nature has been dominant, but this new adversary we face, a despot that has dubbed himself the Rat King, has become intent on pushing me over the edge towards my animal nature._

 _I only hope I have the strength to resist him. Both for myself… and my sons._

…

In the training area of the turtles' lair, Splinter stood alone in silence while the turtles huddled together forming a plan.

"Alright guys, here's the plan." Leo told them. "Donnie, you strike first. Raph, you and Mikey cut around to either side and try to flank him. I'll take up the rear."

"Why do I have to strike first?" Donnie asked. "I'll get pummeled."

"Trust me Don." Leo told him. "It's part of my plan to catch Splinter off guard."

"No offense Leo," Mikey spoke up. "But when have your Splinter based plans ever worked?"

"Ok. new plan." Leo decided. "Mikey, you strike first."

"Think he took it the wrong way?" He asked, turning to Raph.

Raph just rolled his eyes as the turtles took their positions. The turtles slowly started circling Splinter as he just stood there, motionless. Finally, Mikey charged at him. As he leapt into the air trying to kick him, Splinter grabbed his leg and threw him against a subway car. Raph and Donnie came in on either side and tried striking him, but Splinter blocked both at the same time. Finally, Splinter grabbed Raph's arm and threw him into Donnie, knocking them both down. While that was going on, Leo ran up from behind, leapt onto the subway car wall to springboard off it, and actually punched Splinter in the face, much to the turtles surprise. As Leo landed, he turned back and saw Splinter still hunched over, holding his face.

"Sensei!" Leo exclaimed, running to Splinter's side. "Are you okay?"

Splinter looked up, grabbed Leo's arm, and threw him to the ground.

"Leo!" Donnie let out.

"Aw man." Raph shuddered.

"I can't look!" Mikey said in a panic.

Splinter held Leo down for a moment, then released him with a proud smile.

"Well done, Leonardo." he complimented. "But right when you had the advantage, you hesitated. And hesitation leads to vulnerability."

"Hai, Sensei." Leo responded, getting to his feet.

"Now, that is all for today." Splinter declared. "Unless…. You wish to go again?"

"No thanks." Mikey quickly replied.

"I'm good." Donnie added.

"Yeah, maybe some other time." Raph suggested.

Splinter just smiled as he returned to his room. The turtles then all huddled around Leo.

"I can't believe you actually tagged Splinter." Donnie marveled.

"Nice job bro." Raph commended.

"Yeah Leo," Mikey agreed. "You rule!"

"I gotta say it guys," Leo admitted. "We are really coming along in our training."

"You think we might even reach Splinter's level?" Donnie asked.

"Who knows?" Mikey replied. "Maybe before long, we won't need him to train us anymore."

From his room, Splinter heard all that his sons were discussing, and his face dropped at the prospect.

…

Across town in a secluded location, a shadowy figure finishes wrapping bandages around his eyes as hordes of rats surround him.

"My recovery from the fire has taken longer than I expected," the figure admitted. "But that time has been spent well. For I have been much to ponder, and to plan."

A small, white rat skittered up his leg, perching on his shoulder.

"To think, There was a time in my life where I consider you a vermin on this world.." the figure mused, petting the white rat. "But now I see the true pest on this planet. Humanity. They are the real pestilence on this world. Spreading disease and infection to every corner of the globe. Forcing us to live in the shadows. Well no more!"

The rats all squeaked in response as the figure placed a hat on his head.

"It is time we drive these vermin out of this city, and reclaim it for ourselves!" he declared. "Nobody, not even the infernal turtles who opposed me before can stand in our way!"

At the mention of the turtles, the figure smirked, remembering a key detail about the turtles.

"Ah yes, the turtles." He recalled. "They were looking for their father last time, and he is one of us. If he taught them their skills… he could be useful to us. Go! Spread into the city! Make sure not one human stays behind! I will handle our new brother."

With that, the rats stormed into the sewers and eventually onto the streets, with the figure cackling maniacally as they did so.

…

Topside, the rats began spreading through the city. A tidal wave of grey, black, and brown flooded the streets, pouring out of every sewer tunnel, hole in the ground, and dumpster. There were thousands upon thousands of them, much to the horror of the native New Yorkers. Citizens everywhere began completely freaking out, climbing on top of anything to try and get away from the barrage of rats. Among these people were April and her cameraman Vernon, who climbed on top of their news van in an attempt to evade them.

"Rats." Vernon let out. "Why'd it have to be rats?"

"I wish I knew, Vern." April answered honestly, fishing into her pocket. "But I think I may know some people who may know."

"Who?" Vernon asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." April replied.

…

Back at the lair, the turtles were scarfing down a pizza lunch as Mikey came up to them.

"Plenty of pizza left if anyone wants it." Mikey offered.

"No thanks Mikey." Leo replied.

"I'm good." Donnie added.

"Couldn't eat another bite." Raph proclaimed.

"Then I guess no one left room for…" Mikey responded before pulling out a cake from behind him. "Cake!"

"A cake?!" they all let out.

"What's the occasion?" Leo asked.

"You guys don't know?" Mikey asked. "It's our Mutation Day!"

"Aw man." Raph let out. "I completely forgot it was so close."

"I guess we all did." Donnie realized. "Guess things just kept happening and we forgot."

"Well I didn't." Mikey told them. "Sixteen years to the day my ninjas, and just wait till you see the gift I got Splinter."

"I hope it's a good one." Leo told him. "He's been kinda down lately."

"Think it might be because you finally managed to land a hit on him?" Raph asked.

"I don't know." Leo replied. "It's been going on for a while. I-"

His thought was cut off by the sounds of harps and tweeting birds coming from Donnie's shell cell.

"Hey, that's April's ringtone!" Donnie realized.

"Really?" Raph asked. "Never would've guessed."

"Aw, I think it's adorable." Mikey joked.

Donnie ignored Raph's and Mikey's remarks as he answered the phone.

"Hey April." He greeted. "What's up?"

" _Donnie, remember back before the invasion when all those rats came pouring out of the sewers?_ " she asked.

"Yeah." Donnie answered. "Why do you ask?"

" _Oh no reason."_ April replied. " _Only that it's happening throughout the entire city."_

"What?!" Donnie let out. "We're on our way!"

" _Wait, that's not-!_ "

She was unable to finish before Donnie hung up on her.

"We got a problem."

…

Within minutes, the turtles we're topside and making their way through the city. As they leapt across the rooftops, they noted the vast amount of rats occupying the streets.

"Dudes, you think that after an alien invasion, the rat population wouldn't be this bad." Mikey commented.

"One would think." Leo replied.

"How much farther till we get to April?" Raph asked.

"Her signal is only a few clicks away." Donnie reported.

As they came to the edge of the building, they saw April and Vernon standing on top of their news van.

"There she is!" Donnie cried out.

"Who's that with her?" Mikey questioned.

"Doesn't matter." Leo decided. "We'll just have to save him too."

The turtles took out their grappling hook and fired them at a nearby telephone pole. Once secured, they all swung down onto the van, Donnie snagging April around the waist while Raph grabbed Vern by the arm. They all then leapt off of the van and landed on the side of the pole.

"You alright?" Donnie asked.

"I am now." April answered. "Though I think you scared my cameraman."

"Sup dude." Mikey greeted to Vernon.

"Y-you're a talking turtle." He let out.

"Yeah, and you're a human nerd." Raph countered. "Now that we got that out of the way, how would you like to not die today?"

"That be nice." Vernon replied.

Before they could climb though, they heard a creaking sound coming from below them. They all looked down and saw several rats chewing at the support of the pole. Before they knew it, the pole started to fall down, only stopping by the remaining cables attached to it. The sudden stop nearly caused them to fall off, only to grab on at the last minute.

"Ok, I know I'm new at the whole rescue thing," Vernon voiced. "But how is this any better than before you arrived?"

"Hey, at least it will be quick." Mikey told him. "With rats, they chew and chew and chew and chew and chew and chew and-"

"We get it!" Donnie yelled. "Everyone, climb onto the end of the pole! I have an idea!"

They all followed Donnie's advice and climbed out to the end of the pole. As the cables snapped, the top end of the pole fell, causing the turtles, April, and Vernon to ride the bottom half as it moved through the air. As the pole reached a high point, the turtles grabbed April and Vernon and leapt off onto a roof op before the pole fell back onto the rats. They all landed safely on the rooftop and let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that was fun." Raph remarked.

Vern looked a bit green at the gills, holding a hand to his mouth to try and keep himself from barfing.

"Heh, lightweight." Raph noted.

"Ok, any idea what is going on here?" April asked.

"We've seen this before." Donnie reminded. "At the lab of Dr. Victor Falco."

"But Falco burned to a crisp." Mikey recalled. "We saw it."

"We saw Shredder get flattened," Raph told him. "Didn't stop him from coming back and trying to kill us again."

"Whatever the case," Leo interjected. "I think we're forgetting the bigger problem here."

"And what might that be?" Raph asked.

"If this is happening to every rat in the city, then what's to stop this from happening to Splinter?" Leo proposed.

All of them froze at the idea.

"SENSEI!" the turtles all screamed.

…

Back in the lair, Splinter's mood had become more disheartening, so he decided to use the orb the Utroms gave him and concoled with Master Yoshi.

"What is it that troubles you, my student?" Yoshi asked.

"It is… my sons." Splinter answered. "They have progressed far in their training. I am proud of their progress, do not misunderstand, but…"

"You are worried they will no longer need you." Yoshi deduced.

"Yes…" Splinter answered.

"To have a student grow beyond their training is something every master must deal with." Yoshi told him. "I know I had similar reservations when your training came to an end."

"But at least you had Tang Shen," Splinter replied. "For however brief a time. Without the turtles… what am I?"

" _You pour soul…"_ a new voice let out.

Splinter shot up, looking around for the source of the voice as Yoshi faded away and the environment transformed into a black void.

"Who are you?!" He demanded, looking around the void. "Show yourself!"

" _Relax."_ the voice reassured. " _I mean you no harm."_

"Then who are you?" Splinter demanded again.

" _A kindred spirit."_ the voice continued. " _Like you, I once knew the shackles of humanity, but have since found solace… in the realm of the rats."_

"What?" Splinter let out. "No, I am nothing like you. Leave me!"

" _Why fight it?"_ The figure asked. " _In your heart, you know you belong to me. Your Rat King!"_

…

The turtles, April, and Vernon, finally returned to the lair, the latter absolutely stunned by what he was seeing.

"I can't believe I'm seeing this." he gasped. "An underground dwelling built into an old subway station."

"Yeah, yeah." Raph dismissed. "We'll give you the nickel tour later."

"Sensei!" Leo yelled.

The turtles huddled around Splinter who had collapsed onto the floor, dropping the Utrom orb. April ran over and picked it up, placing it on its stand on the shelf before joining the turtles.

"Master Splinter?" she whispered. "Are you… okay?"

Splinter gave no response.

"Dudes, he's totally out of it." Mikey observed. "D, what do we do?"

"I don't know." Donnie admitted. "Maybe someone should poke him?"

"I am not poking Master Splinter." Raph snapped. "It's Master Splinter."

"Hey don't look at me." Mikey protested. "Make the new guy poke him."

All of them slowly turned to Vern, who was just standing there in confusion.

"Wait… you want me to what?" he questioned.

"Just take this stick," Donnie explained, handing him his staff. "And gently poke Master Splinter with it. Simple."

Vern took the staff, approaching Master Splinter cautiously. Ever so slowly, he poked him in the shoulder with it. He then lurched back quickly, afraid something might happen. Nothing did however, as Splinter stayed as motionless as before. Vern came out of his flinch, poking Splinter again, this time a bit harder. Again, nothing happened.

"Look's like he's not waking up." Vern let out.

Just then, Splinter sat up and gasped in an instant, causing Vernon to shriek like a little girl. He dropped the staff, stumbling back in fright. The turtles quickly rushed to Splinter's side as he clenched his head in a haze.

"Sensei," Leo said helping him up. "Are you ok?"

"No… no I am not Leonardo." Splinter replied as Mikey gave him his walking stick for him to lean on.

"What happened?" Mikey asked.

"It would appear that your old nemesis, Dr. Falco has returned." Splinter reported.

"So Falco is behind all this." Donnie pieced together. "He must have survived the fire somehow. But how'd he recreate his old equipment?"

"It was not by equipment." Splinter replied. "Somehow, he has inherited an innate ability to telepathically control all rats. Now he wishes to control this city… under the moniker of the Rat King."

"The Rat King?" Mikey let out. "He sounds like the most dangerous, ruthless, most evilist villain we've come across!"

"You really mean that?" Raph asked. "Or are you just ticked you didn't get to name him?"

"Can't it be both?" Mikey asked. "Point being, we gotta stop him."

"Indeed you do Michelangelo." Splinter agreed. "He will not rest until he has complete control of this city… and my mind."

"That ain't gonna happen, Sensei." Raph promised. "We won't let it."

"Um..." Vernon let out. "Not to interrupt, but what the heck is a Falco? And how is he doing the thing with the rats?"

"It's kinda a long story, and we don't have time to tell it." Donnie told him. "We need to find Falco and take him down."

"When he peered into mind, I could see into his." Splinter told them. "He has taken shelter at an abandoned utility station beneath Harold Square."

Just then, Splinter cried out in pain, clenching his head.

"Master Splinter!" the turtles all shouted.

They gathered around him in hopes of comforting him.

"He is still trying… to take control." He told him. "He is… powerful."

"Just keep fighting him Sensei." Leo told him. "We'll find him and shut him down."

"April, you and Vernon stay here." Donnie told her. "Keep an eye on him."

"Wait," Vernon realized. "You want me to stay here with a human sized rat who could flip out at a moment's notice?!"

"Well you could come with us and face down thousands of rats that will eat your face off without a second thought." Raph offered.

Vernon gulped, then rubbed the back of his head.

"I don't suppose you have any coffee down here." he commented.

…

Down in the tunnels, the turtles made their way towards the utility junction Splinter told them about.

"So what are we gonna do if Splinter can't beat the Rat King?" Mikey asked.

"That ain't gonna happen, Mikey." Raph reassured. "We're gonna stop the Rat King, and Splinter's gonna be fine."

As they continued walking, a lone rat ran past them, squeaking all the way.

"Whew," Mikey let out. "It's just one."

"Is it though?" Donnie asked.

A low rumbling noise seemed to emit from the tunnel the rat had just run out of. The turtles turned in that direction and saw a tidal wave of rats scurrying in their direction.

"Aw rats." Mikey let out.

"How long have you been waiting to use that one?" Raph asked.

"All day." Mikey answered. "And it was so worth it."

"Happy for you." Leo replied. "Now… RUN!"

The turtles bolted down the tunnel, with the hordes of rats on their tails. They were slowly losing ground, the rats closing in on then. They quickly jumped to some low hanging pipes on the ceiling, watching the vast amounts of rats scurry below them.

"That was close." Mikey remarked.

"Come on," Leo told them. "Let's keep moving."

…

Back in the lair, Splinter tried to meditate to strengthen his mind, but the Rat King's attacks persisted.

" _Come now Splinter,"_ The Rat King insisted. " _We have evolved beyond the shackles of humanity, greater than any human before us. Why do you insist on clinging to this, trivial existence?"_

"I am needed here." Splinter argued. "My sons need me."

" _Please, no one wants you."_ Rat King dismissed. " _Your master is dead, anyone who cared about you as Chung Li has long forgotten you, even your so called children have outgrown you."_

Splinter thought back to the training session earlier today, and how Leo was able to tag him. His paw caressed the cheek Leo had struck, still feeling the sting of the blow.

" _You see?"_ Rat King told him. " _They don't need you. You're all alone."_

Rat King then held out his hand towards Splinter.

" _Come. We will be your family now."_

…

Meanwhile, April was trying to explain to Vernon what she could about the turtles and their sensei. Needless to say, the story was a rather long one.

"And ever since then, he's been training them in the ways of Ninjutsu." she continued. "And together, they've been defending the city from all sorts of threats. Purple Dragons, Foot Ninja, Kraang, you name it, they've fought it."

Vernon just gave a blank stare, trying to process all this.

"Oooo...kay then." He finally replied.

"Believe me, I was the exact same way when I first learned all this." she assured him. "But trust me, these guys are heroes. And their sensei is one of the strongest warriors I've ever met. You'll see."

"I suppose." Vernon allowed.

Just then, the door to Splinter's room was thrown open, and the rat sensei walked out with his head down and a sword attached to his side. April saw this and went over to check on him.

"Master Splinter, you shouldn't be up." she chastised him lightly. "Go back to your meditation and I'll make you some-"

Splinter's head then shot up, revealing completely red eyes, suggesting he was under a trance. He grabbed April by the arm and tossed her aside.

"Hey!" Vernon let out.

Splinter then pulled out his sword and pointed it at his neck, causing him to freeze up.

"Vern..." April whispered. "Whatever you do, don't… move."

"Like I was going to do anything else." Vernon replied.

Splinter slid across the floor, making his way towards the door. Once he made it, he sheathed his sword and made his way out of the lair. April gulped, reaching for her shell cell.

"Not good." she muttered.

…

"I'm just saying, I can think of a ton of better names than the Rat King." Mikey insisted. "There's Ratzilla, the Verminator, Lord Ratington."

"Let it go Mikey." Leo told him "We're almost there. The utility junction should be just on the other side of this wall."

"You mean that wall?" Raph asked.

The others looked at the wall to see it completely covered in rats.

"Yeah..." Leo said quietly. "That wall"

Leo looked over the scene and saw two yellow barrels sitting there.

"Raph, those barrels." Leo told him. "Ventilate them."

"On it." Raph replied, pulling out some throwing stars and throwing them at the barrels.

The barrels were punctured, releasing some chemicals from the inside.

"Uh, Leo." Donnie spoke up. "You do realize those chemicals are highly combustible, right?"

"You don't say." Leo remarked, pulling out a sword and slicing some electrical cords above him.

The cables fell towards the chemicals, causing them to explode and sending several rats flying everywhere.

"You know, if the ninja thing doesn't work out, maybe we could be exterminators." Mikey declared.

"Come on," Leo told them. "Let's go exterminate the Rat King."

…

Finally, the turtles arrived at the utility junction. While looking around the area, they spotted Rat King standing over them on a platform looking over them.

"Ah, my old turtle friends." Rat King addressed. "We meet again."

"Falco." Donnie let out. "You've look like you seen better days."

"Yeah, bbq scientist ain't a good look for you." Raph remarked.

"Victor Falco is dead!" Rat King yelled. "I am the Rat King!"

"Yeah, about that!" Mikey called out. "I'm the one who gets to name the bad guys!"

"Not now Mikey." Leo told him. "Alright,'Rat King', it's about time for us to-"

Before he could finish, Donnie shell cell went off with April's ringtone blaring out. Everyone turned to him in annoyance.

"Way to ruin the moment, Don." Raph chastised.

"Sorry." Donnie apologized, answering the phone. "April hey. Now's kinda not the best time."

" _Donnie, I've got some bad news."_ she explained. " _Master Splinter's gone!"_

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Donnie inquired. "Gone where?"

"Here."

The turtles froze up upon hearing Splinter's voice in such a threatening tone. They all turned to see Splinter emerging from the shadows. His eyes were bright red, and he had his sword drawn.

"S-sensei?" Leo let out.

"His mind's completely taken over." Donnie realized.

"Sensei please!" Mikey insisted.

"You waste your words." Splinter replied in a monotonous voice. "This is where I belong. With my brother."

The Rat king cackled cruelty, looking down at the turtles with villainous glee.

"He's mine now." he declared.

"Let him go, Falco!" Raph yelled.

"Surely you all must appreciate the irony here." Rat King taunted. "When we first met, I tried to help you find your master. Now, I will be using him to not only control this city, but destroy you once and for all."

"That's never gonna happen, Rat King." Leo swore.

"We shall see." Rat King replied. "Splinter, destroy them."

Splinter then started walking towards them, much to their horror and dismay.

"Sensei don't!" Leo yelled.

Splinter stopped for a minute, seemingly fighting against the Rat King. In response, the Rat King removed his hat and bandages, revealing glowing red eyes of his own, as well as severe chemical burns across his eyes. Splinter then resumed walking towards the turtles, readying his sword as he did so.

"Are we really gonna do this?" Donnie asked. "Fight Sensei?"

"We beat him before." Raph reminded. "Kind of."

"And we can beat him again." Leo chimed in. "Remember guys, don't hold back."

The others nodded, each of them drawing their weapons in preparation. Each one of them staring down Splinter with determination and steeled resolve.

"Guys…" Leo spoke up. "Take Sensei down."

One by one, each of the turtles charged toward him, leapt into the air, and tried bringing their weapons down on him. To their shock however, they just ended up hitting the ground. Before they could even question what happened, Splinter appeared behind them and knocked them back one by one, each colliding with walls of the junction.

"That… hurt." Mikey let out.

"It's Splinter, what'd you expect." Raph replied.

"Guys, I just had a horrible realization." Donnie shared.

"What's that?" Leo asked.

"He's been going easy on us all these years!" Donnie let out.

Rat King chuckled as the assurance of his victory. Donnie shook off the initial attack and charged at Splinter again, jumping up and trying to bring his staff down on him. Splinter just leapt out of the way as Donnie continually tried jabbing at him with the staff, with Splinter dodging every blow. Finally, Splinter elbowed the staff out of his hands, sending it tumbling across the floor. Splinter then palm thrusted Donnie in the chest, launching him across the room.

"Donnie!" Mikey let out, standing on top of a platform.

He then extended his chain and tried throwing it at him. Splinter held out his sword, allowing the chain to wrap around it. Splinter then pulled on the chain, sending Mikey crashing to the ground next to him. Mikey quickly sprung back to his feet and pulled out his other nunchaku before running at Splinter. As Mikey spun his weapon, Splinter grabbed the other end and spun around, throwing Mikey into Donnie as they both fell to the ground.

"That's it!" Raph yelled. "No one hurts Mikey but me!"

Raph let out several sai strikes at Splinter, every one of which, he deflected. Splinter side stepped from one strike, causing Raph to turn around and see that he was missing. Raph turned around again and saw Splinter backflipping over him and his foot colliding with his face. The impact sent him flying back, and skidding towards Donnie and Mikey. This left Leo as the last turtle standing. He stared down his sensei, adjusting his grip on his swords nervously.

"Sensei, please..." he begged. "I don't want to do this..."

Splinter's ear twitched, then he charged at Leo. Leo charged as well, and the two clashed violently. Their swords rang out as they parried each other's blows. Each one struck at the other with all their might. Splinter took a swing at Leo, but he quickly leapt over it. Leo barely had time to turn before he was forced to block a blow from Splinter. He did his best to hold his sensei back, but a quick twist of Splinter's sword sent both of Leo's flying in opposite directions. A swift kick to the shell sent Leo flying as well, his shell bouncing across the ground before he skidded to a stop near his bros. They all looked up to see Splinter standing over them, his sword pointed menacingly at the four of them.

"Sensei, don't!" Mikey cried out.

"Please Sensei, snap out of it!" Donnie begged.

"Finish them." Rat King ordered.

"Remember who you are." Leo told him, pulling out his shell cell and pulling up a picture of their entire family. "You are Splinter, our father!"

He then swiped left, revealing a second picture. One of him as a human with his Master, Hamato Yoshi.

"More than that, you are Chung Li, student of Hamato Yoshi!" Leo continued. "You don't answer to some so-called Rat King, because you are no rat!"

"Don't listen to them, brother." Rat King told him, walking down towards them. "Your place is with me."

"Father," Leo said again. "We need you."

Splinter stood still for a while, closing his eyes in contemplation.

"My place…." Splinter let out. "Is with my sons!"

Splinter's eyes snapped open, revealing their usual brown color. The turtles all brightened as Splinter dashed towards the Rat King. He stretched out an hand and jabbed two fingers at him, barely touching him. Suddenly, some kind of of unseen force shot him back, causing him to collide with the wall and drop to the ground with a thud. All four turtles blinked in absolute shock, then they practically tackled Splinter in a hug.

"Father!" they all cried out happily, squeezing him tightly.

"My sons." Splinter spoke. "Thank you."

They all looked up to see countless rats crawl over Rat King as they carried him away.

"Hopefully, that's the last we'll see of, Count Ratula." Mikey declared.

"Mikey." the turtles let out, annoyed.

"Fine, we'll call him the Rat King." Mikey relented. "But I'm naming the next one."

…

Back at the lair, April got off the phone with Irma, sighing in relief.

"The rats have dispersed from the streets." she announced. "I guess Falco's plan fell through after you kicked his tail"

"That's a relief." Raph remarked. "So what do we do about him?"

Vernon blinked, pointing at himself.

"Me?" he questioned. "What do you mean?"

"Well we don't let just anyone in on our secret." Donnie explained.

"Yeah, guess we'll just have to kill you." Mikey replied.

Vern gulped and backed away in fear. April just shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Really guys?" she chastised. "You four are impossible."

"Nah, just kidding." Mikey replied.

"Though seriously, don't tell anyone." Donnie told him.

"No problem." Vernon replied, his voice an octave higher than usual out of fear.

...

Meanwhile, Splinter was in his room meditating when Leo walked in.

"Sensei, you sure you're ok?" He asked.

"I am fine Leonardo." Splinter reassured, turning to him. "Thanks to you and your brothers."

"Well… I know more than what happened with the Rat King has been bothering you." Leo told him.

Splinter let out a sigh of acceptance.

"I suppose... there has been something." Splinter admitted. "It seems like I have lost everything in life. My master, my home, my clan, even my humanity. You four are all I have left. And the thought of you not needing me…"

"Sensei." Leo chimed in. "When you were missing… it was the scariest time of our lives. We had no idea how to cope or what to do without you."

"Still, you came out of the ordeal stronger." Splinter reminded. "You should be commended for that."

"The thing is Sensei, there might be a day when we stop needing you as a teacher." Leo told him. "But there will never be a time when we'll stop needing you as a father."

Splinter looked down at his son, a small tear of happiness in his eye. He wiped it away, placing a loving paw on Leo's shoulder.

"Thank you, Leonardo." he told him. "I am so proud of you. You have accomplished much since your training began, and have even succeeded in catching me off guard."

"Well, you did hesitate." Leo informed him, a knowing smile on his face. "And hesitation leads to vulnerability."

"Hey, what about us?" Mikey asked as he, Donnie, and Raph peeked in.

"Yeah, we were pretty good too." Raph agreed.

"Indeed." Splinter allowed. "I am proud of you all.

"I'm curious about one thing though." Donnie admitted. "How'd you do that move you pulled against the Rat King?"

Splinter gave Donatello a knowing smirk.

"You forget, my son." He let out. "Everything you know, I have taught you. But I have not taught you, everything I know."

Donnie sighed, knowing that meant he wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon.

"It's… great to have you back Sensei." he let out with a small smile.


	49. The Deadly Venom

_I am Oroku Karai, daughter of Oroku Saki, better known as the Shredder. My father was once the leader of the Foot, the greatest of all the ninja clans. He would have united the world under the banner of the Foot, had it not been for Leonardo and his treacherous brothers. They slayed my father in cold blood, leaving me to die in the fire that consumed the Foot Headquarters._

 _Now, I am the head of the Foot Clan, and it is my duty to avenge my father's death. I will make the turtles pay for taking my father from me. Only then can my father truly rest in peace_

…

In the torched remains of the Foot's old skyrise headquarters, Karai pried open the doors the the abandoned mutations lab.

"Finally." She let out. "Let's hope something in here survived."

She then went over to the numerous pods containing various mutations inside. As she perused through the pods, she came to see that most had either escaped, or had been killed. Enraged, Karai knocked over a nearby table with strange metal collars on top of it.

"Nothing!" She let out. "Absolutely nothing! There's nothing here that I can-"

Karai's rant was cut short by a strange sound coming from behind her. She turned around and saw nothing, yet the sound persisted. It sounded like some kind of hissing sound as Karai moved closer to it.

"What the…" She let out.

Suddenly, out of the corner, something sprang out at her. Karai quickly moved out of the way as the figure darted past. She quickly turned around and drew her weapon, seeing her attacker was a large silver mutant snake with a pointed head and two arms with snake heads for hands.

"Well, you're different." Karai commented.

The snake then shot out both its hands at her. She quickly dodged one and struck back the other with her sword. She then caught notice of one of the metal collars she had knocked down, and a remote next to it. Having a pretty good idea of what they could do for her, she darted towards the mutant. She then leapt onto its head and sprung off, landing next to the collar. After sheathing her weapon, she grabbed the collar and threw the collar at the snake as it slithered towards her. The collar locked onto the snakes neck and Karai pressed a button on the remote, electrocuting it. The snake tumbled to the ground and landed at Karai's feet. Karai looked at the remote before looking back at the snake, and a cruel smile sprouted across her face.

"Now this… I like." She replied.

…

Down in the turtles' lair, Leo and Splinter knelt in front of each other in the practice area. They both then stood up and each picked up a wooden bokken before bowing to each other. Finally, they each struck a fighting stance. Then, the two clashed weapons. They clashed again and again, neither showing any leniency to the other. Leo noted that Splinter was moving a bit slower on on attack and kicked him in the chest. As he stumbled back as Leo moved in to press the attack, but stopped when he saw Splinter's dazed state. Splinter finally recovered and resumed his stance.

"You had me at a disadvantage but did not attack." Splinter noted. "Why?"

"No reason Sensei." Leo insisted.

"Then stop holding back, and attack!" Splinter declared, moving towards him,

Leo quickly blocked Splinter's attack and proved a few strikes of his own, each of which Splinter deflected. While the two were having at it, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey were watching the whole thing from a cracked open door in Donnie's lab.

"Man they're really going at it." Donnie observed.

"Sensei's been pushing Leo non-stop since the Rat King thing." Raph remarked. "Guess he wants to make sure we can take him down if that freak show ever rears his ugly head again."

"That creep messed him up pretty bad." Mikey commented. "You sure Sensei should even be this active?"

"You want to try and tell Sensei not to do something?" Donnie countered.

Mikey paused for a moment.

"Good point." Mikey finally replied.

Back in the fight, Leo and Splinter continued to fight. Leo was able to block two of Splinter's attacks before leaping over him. Splinter turned to face him, but a daze fell over him, causing him to lose focus again. Leo didn't notice as he landed and struck Splinter in the leg, causing him to cry out.

"Sensei!" Leo let out, dropping his bokken. "I'm sorry, i didn't-"

Splinter held up a hand in response, cutting him off.

"You did well, my son." he assured him. "You should always use your opponents weakness against them, even if your opponent is me."

He then hisses slightly in pain, rubbing the sore limb.

"Then again, perhaps it is time I dealt with this particular weakness properly." he admitted.

With that, Splinter took a knelt stance and prepared his hands in what Leo thought to be strange positions.

"Sensei, what are you doing?" He asked.

"One of my Master Yoshi's final teachings." Splinter told him.

Splinter then began moving his hands into different gestures. As he did so, he also chanted a rather strange chant.

"Ryn. Pyo Toh. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen."

As he chanted, his hands began to glow, much to Leo's amazement. Splinter then placed his hands on his leg, and the energy from them spread throughout his leg. Leo's jaw dropped in amazement as he rubbed his eyes.

"What was that?" he questioned.

"It is an ancient technique known as the healing hands." Splinter told him. "The way Yoshi described it was a means of channeling spiritual energy through ones body and directing it towards the injured or inflicted."

"Wow." Leo let out. "So, if it can heal injuries, why…"

"Have I not used it on my ear?" Splinter guessed, brushing his damaged ear. "It cannot heal a wound so extensive. It cannot regrow lost limbs, or restore a lost life. It is merely a tool with which to aid your friends or heal minor injuries."

"I see." Leo observed.

"Would you like to learn this trick?" Splinter offered.

Leo smiled as he knelt down across from Splinter.

"I would be honored, Sensei." Leo replied.

"Then join with me." Splinter instructed as he moved his hands.

Leo tried to match his hand movements with Splinters as the other turtles continued to watch from the lab.

…

Meanwhile, at Irma's apartment downtown, April was freshening up in front of a mirror, preparing to go to work. Irma, a young woman with short, blackish hair, and a pair of rhinestone encrusted glasses, brought her a cup of coffee.

"I'm making spaghetti for dinner tonight." she reported. "I hope you won't be dragged off on another all night report again."

"Here's hoping." April replied. "I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here, Irma."

"Hey, I needed a roommate, you needed a room." Irma remarked. "The way I see it, we were a perfect match."

"Still, thanks." April repeated.

About that time, there was a knock on the door.

"Bet you a buck that's Vern." Irma declared.

April went over to the door and looked out the peephole, seeing her ever present cameraman waiting outside for her.

"You called it." April confirmed, opening the door..

Irma punched the air as Vern walked in.

"Got the van parked outfront, ready to go when you are." Vern informed her. "Irma, you need a ride?"

"Save me money for the subway, so why not?" Irma answered.

With that, the three of them walked out of the apartment, and headed downstairs. They approached the van, Irma pausing slightly.

"Hey Vern, did you run over something?" she asked. "I'm hearing a weird hissing sound."

"No, I don't think so." Vernon replied.

April moved to the back of the van, trying to follow the hissing sound to its source. Surprisingly, it seemed like the hissing sound was coming from inside the van. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, she moved in to open it. The second the doors opened, a white snake darted out, latching onto April's shoulder. She cried out in pain as Vernon and Irma ran over to her.

"April!" Irma shrieked.

April fell backward as the snake released her shoulder, slithering out of the van. To both Irma and Vernon's shock, it was no ordinary snake, but the mutant one.

"Oh no..." Vern gasped.

"What was that?!" Irma exclaimed.

"It's a long story," Vernon replied, picking April up. "But I know where we have to go."

…

Down in the lair, the turtles were kicking back and watching another Crognard episode. This one involved a villainous enchantress, one Crognard had betrayed in previous episodes, coming back for revenge. She stood over a bubbling cauldron, cackling to herself.

" _Crognard… you broke my heart when you left me in the den of those zombie-freaks to die._ " she despaired dramatically. " _Now, I will take everything you hold dear, starting with your new girl!_ "

The enchantress held up Wizardess with her magic, a look of fear graced her face.

" _Crognard!"_ She cried out. " _Save me please!"_

" _Crognard will save you!"_ Crognard promised, pulling out his sword. " _Charge!"_

With that, Crognard charged at the enchantress and tackled her to the ground, punching her repeatedly.

" _This is why grudges are stupid!"_ Crognard announced. " _Everyone gets hurt."_

"Preach!" Mikey exclaimed.

" _I do not care who gets hurt!_ " The enchantress screamed. " _So long as you pay, the entire world will suffer!_ "

"The poor deluded fool." Donnie lamented.

"Vengeance is never the answer." Leo agreed. "I mean seriously, the zombie-freaks thing was two seasons ago. Why is she still hung up on that?"

"Some people can just be stubborn." Raph replied.

Just then, there was a knocking sound on the entrance to the lair, much to the turtles' surprise.

"Dude, since when did we start having so many guests?" Mikey questioned.

"Hang on, let me check the security feed." Donnie replied, heading towards his lab.

He entered his lab and checked the surveillance cameras set up at the entrance to the lair. On the screen, he saw Vernon looking at the entrance trying to guess the password.

"It's Vernon." Donnie reported as the others came in. "And it looks like he brought a friend."

"Ok, that bozo must have brain damage." Raph remarked. "I know we told him-"

"Hold it!" Donnie interrupted, seeing someone else on screen. "April's there… and she looks sick!"

"Come on!" Leo told them.

…

Outside, Vernon tried another password on the keypad, but it just beeped in his face.

"Darn it, why did I not pay attention when April told me the code?" Vernon let out in exasperation.

"Vern, when are gonna tell me what's going on?" Irma insisted. "We should get April to a hospital, not the sewers!"

"Sorry Irma, but I promise you, these guys can help her better than any hospital." Vern insisted.

Just then, the entrance to the lair opened, and the turtles came out one by one, but to Vernon's relief and Irma's surprise.

"T-t-t… turtles?" She let out.

"Vernon, what happened?" Donnie asked.

"Some kind of mutant snake attacked April." He explained. "I thought you could help her."

"We'll do what we can." Donnie promised. "Help me get her inside."

Vern carried her in as Mikey looked over at Irma.

"Uh… what about her?" He asked, gesturing to the still shocked woman.

"Bring her inside and we'll try our best to explain." Leo replied.

Mikey nodded, waving a hand in front of Irma's face. She didn't move, and barely blinked. Mikey tried again, still no response. He sighed, then walked behind her and gently pushed her into the lair.

…

Meanwhile out in the city, Casey was riding around town on his bike, patrolling for crimes to thwart. Unfortunately for the street vigilante, the streets were pretty quiet tonight.

"Man, guess the city's still trying to get its feet back after the invasion." Casey mused. "Might be time to pack it in for the night."

As he started for home, Karai ran across the rooftops towards him. She leapt off and kicked him in the chest, knocking him off of his bike.

"Hello Jones." she greeted, smirking cruelly. "Long time no see."

Casey groaned as he got to his feet and slid down his mask.

"Well, if it ain't Shredder's little girl." Casey remarked as he pulled out a hockey stick. "So, to what do I owe the honor of your attack?"

"You know why, Jones." Karai snarled. "Your friends killed my father and left me to die!"

"Well if it makes things fair, your buddy Hun killed my dad." Casey told her. "Maybe we can talk it out."

"The time for talking is long since passed." Karai declared. "Now, it's time for me to do what I should have done months ago."

She then drew her sword and charged at him. He quickly ducked under the strike as she spun around. He then brought his hockey stick up to block the second attack, only for her to kick him in the side. As he stumbled back, she ran up and kicked him across the face, knocking his mask off and causing him to fall to the ground. He slowly pulled himself up to see a few of his sports weapons fell out, including a croquet mallet. As Karai walked up to him, he quickly grabbed the mallet and swung it at her, nailing her in the face and knocking her down as well. Casey got back to his feet as he admired his weapon.

"I never understood how this was considered a gentleman's game." He remarked before turning to Karai. "You're finished, sweetheart."

"Hardly." Karai growled, snapping her fingers.

All of a sudden, the mutant snake slithered out of the alley. Casey barely had time to turn around before one of the snakes snake hands bit him in the arm. He yelled in pain before using the mallet to knock the snake back.

"That the best you got?" Casey asked, turning towards her, stumbling a bit. "Casey Jones… has dealt with… tougher…"

"I don't think so." Karai remarked. "You're suffering the effects of my pets venom. Now what were those symptoms again?... oh yes. First, weakness."

Casey then dropped to his knees.

"Then numbness," She listed off.

"I can't feel my… anything." Casey replied, feeling his face.

"Followed by paralysis," Karai continued.

Casey's arms went limp as she spoke.

"And finally, blackout." She concluded.

Casey then began losing consciousness as Karai walked up to him.

"You're the second to taste her venom tonight." She told him. "I've poisoned O'Neil, I've poisoned you, and now I'm going to poison the turtles. One. By. One."

She then kicked Casey flat on his back, leaving him at the mercy of the venom. He watched her go, his vision swimming as he tried to reach his phone. He barely had time to hit the panic button before the world went black.

…

Back at the lair, Donnie had April set up on a table in his lab, a few wires attached to her head as Donnie monitored her vitals. He eyed his machines nervously, not liking how bad they were.

"How's it lookin, Don?" Raph asked.

"Not good." Donnie lamented. "The poisons don't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. I'm working up some anti-venoms but it's too soon to see how well they'll work."

About that time, Raph's phone began to beep. He picked it up, his eyes widening.

"More bad news." He reported. "Casey just sent out a distress signal. I'm gonna go check it out."

"Take Mikey with you." Leo told him.

"What?!" Raph let out. "Why?"

"You might need back up out there." Leo told him.

"Fine." Raph relented.

"Sweet!" Mikey let out. "Can we take the Party Wagon? We haven't taken that thing out in ages."

"If I say yes, will you please shut up?" Raph asked.

"Yup." Mikey answered.

Raph met his eyes, then let out a groan.

"Fine, let's go." he relented.

"Raph and Mikey, the new A-Team!" Mikey cheered.

Donnie just rolled his eyes as he turned back to April.

"You'll be okay." He promised, taking her hand in his. "I promise, I'll find a way to save you."

…

The Party Wagon pulled up to where Casey's distress call came from. Raph and Mikey got out and looked around for their friend.

"Casey?" Raph called out. "Ya bonehead where are ya?!"

"There!" Mikey let out, pointing into the alley.

Raph looked and saw Casey lying on the ground. The two ran towards him to see if he was ok.

"Casey." Raph let out, grabbing his shoulder. "What happened?"

"Check it out." Mikey said, pointing to his shoulder. "Looks like he was bit."

"Just like April…" Raph mused. "Meaning the same mutant that got April got Casey as well."

"But why?" Mikey asked.

Just then, a slithering came from the shadows. The two turtles drew their weapons in preparation.

"Come out and show yourself!" Raph threatened.

After a bit of silence, the snake darted out of the alley towards them. Raph leapt over the snake as it came out while Mikey just rolled out of the way.

"Wow." Mikey let out, getting to his feet and spinning his nunchucks. "That is the coolest snake mutant I have ever seen. And believe me I've seen… well one, but-"

Before he could finish, the snake whipped its snake hands at him. Mikey quickly batted them aside with his nunchucks before the snake lunged at him. Mikey quickly bashed the snake in the head, causing it to stumble back.

"Gonna have to try harder than that, Queen Cobra!" Mikey taunted.

"Queen Cobra?" Raph asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I was thinking either that or Serpenta and-"

Before he could finish, Queen Cobra wrapper her tail around Mikey and bit into his shoulder.

"Mikey!" Raph cried out running towards him.

Queen Cobra turned her head and spat some kind of venom in Raph's face. The impact caused him to cry out and tumble onto the ground. Before Raph could move, a snake hand shot out and bit Raph on the arm. Raph's consciousness began fading. The last thing he saw before blacking out, was a pair of metal clad human legs walking towards him.

…

Back at the lair, Donnie began administering the anti-venom he had cooked up. Once he gave it to April, he checked her vitals to see if it was having any effect. The results were not good.

"Oh no." He let out.

"Oh no?" Vernon repeated. "What's the oh no?"

"Well… the anti-venom isn't having any effect." Donnie admitted.

"What?!" Vernon let out. "I thought you could help her?!"

"I'm trying!" Donnie practically yelled.

Irma, who had been basically catatonic up until this point, finally managed to find her words again.

"I uh… I know I'm… COMPLETELY out of my element here… but wouldn't whatever uh… mutated that snake have mutated the poison too?" she offered up.

"Right." Donnie realized. "The problem is all my attempts to make a retro-mutagen have been a disaster."

Just then, Leo's shell cell started ringing. Seeing it was Raph calling, he answered it.

"Raph, is Casey ok?" He asked.

" _No, he's not."_ Karai's voice answered, much to his shock. " _And neither are your brothers for that matter."_

"Karai?" He let out.

" _Miss me Leonardo?"_ she asked condescendingly. " _I'm touched._ "

"What have you done with my brothers and Casey?" He demanded.

" _Nothing they didn't deserve._ " Karai replied. " _And if you want to see them alive again, you and Donatello will come to the abandoned Greenwich street station. Better hurry though. I don't know how long they can stave off the effects of Queen Cobra's poison._ "

Just then, the line went dead.

"Kara? Karai!" He cried out before turning to Donnie. "Donnie, the others need us."

"But… we can't just leave April." Donnie replied.

"Go." Splinter told him, entering the lab. "I will help April."

"The mantras, Sensei?" Leo assumed. "Do you think those will work?"

"I do not know, but it may be our only chance." Splinter answered. "Now go!"

Leo and Donnie nodded as they took off. Vern and Irma watched them go, then they turned to Splinter.

"What can we do?" Vernon asked.

"Keep her still while I work." Splinter told them. "This may be painful for her, but it will help her survive this."

Vernon nodded, placing his hands on April's shoulders. Irma did the same with April's ankles, allowing Splinter to sit down by April's side. He assumed a meditative position, beginning the mantra.

"Ryn. Pyo Toh. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen." he chanted as he performed the hand motions.

Once his hands started glowing, he placed them on April. They glowed briefly as they made contact, and she almost immediately began spasming. Irma and Vernon struggled to hold her down as the machines went completely erratic.

"April!" Irma exclaimed. "We're losing her!"

Sweat poured down Splinter's brow as he began the mantra again, an edge of desperation in his voice as he did.

"Ryn! Pyo! Toh! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!"

Finally, April's heart rate slowed down to a more reasonable pace, much to the relief of everyone.

"Is it over?" Irma asked.

"No, I have slowed the poison but it is still inside her." Splinter told them. "There is still much work to be done."

…

Meanwhile, Leo and Donnie made their way through the sewers to the abandoned station. Donnie winced at the smell around them.

"Is it just me, or does this water smell worse than usual?" He asked.

"Doesn't matter." Leo insisted. "Our bros and Casey need us. C'mon."

They emerged from the water, entering the station. As they did, their limbs began to feel heavy. The room began to spin, and their vision began to blur.

"I-i don't feel so good…" Donnie admitted.

"Me… neither…." Leo replied.

"Nice time, boys." Karai complimented from the other end of the track. "I knew you'd come. And from the sewers too. So I prepared something for you."

Queen Cobra slithered up behind her, hissing ominously.

"Like my new friend?" she asked, giving the snake a small pet on the snout. "She's an incredibly poisonous Albino Horned Viper. They mainly feed on mice, guess that's why Dad had one mutated."

Leo and Donnie stumbled forward, Karai chuckling as they did.

"The aforementioned poison is incredibly potent in any of its various forms, including when it's mixed with… shall we say, the waters of the sewers?"

Leo went wide eyed, realizing what had happened.

"You… poisoned...us…" He let out.

"Bingo." She confirmed, walking towards him. "After all this time, I'm going to succeed where my father failed."

Leo dropped to his knees as Donnie collapsed entirely.

"Shredder… was never… your father…" Leo tried to tell her.

Karai just kicked him across the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Your fate is already sealed, don't add more lies to your crimes." She told him. "Queen Cobra, help me hang these freaks with the rest of my trophies. I want to watch the life fade from their eyes before going after my final prey. Splinter."

She sidestepped, revealing Mikey, Raph, and Casey all suspended from the ceiling via chains on their wrists. All three of them were unconscious, their weapons and Casey's mask tossed to the side.

"Before long, the rat you call father will come looking for you." Karai taunted as Queen Cobra dragged Donnie towards the chains. "And when he does… well you can figure it out."

As Leo laid there on the floor, Karai chained Donnie up and began suspending him with the others. Gathering what strength he had left, he forced himself back onto his feet.

"Rin..." he gasped, fighting through the poison. "Pyo. Toh. Sai..."

"Trying to fight the poison?" Karai marveled. "Impressive, but futile."

Karai then charged at him, delivering a solid kick to the center of his chest. He went sliding back, but continued his chanting, doing the hand gestures Splinter had taught him.

…

April continued to groan in pain as Splinter continued his work.

"April, please hang on." Splinter told her. "The poison is still at work inside of you. I can help you, but it is your will that will defeat it."

"Come on April." Irma let out. "Please be ok."

…

Leo continued fighting with Karai, barely able to keep up with her attacks. She just kept wailing on him at every opening. He tried focusing on his chanting, but it was becoming difficult. Suddenly, Queen Cobra came from behind and sunk both of her snake hands into Leo's arms. The triple dose of venom began to effect Leo badly, which was only made worse when the snake tossed him hard into a support pillar.

"How pathetic." Karai taunted. "And to think I once considered you my equal in combat. Now, you'll die like the pathetic animal you truly are."

Leo didn't respond, he just dropped to his knees and resumed his chanting and hand gestures.

"Ryn. Pyo Toh. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen. Ryn! Pyo! Toh! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Za!. Zen!"

…

Meanwhile, Splinter was performing the same chant, harder and more determined than ever before.

"Ryn! Pyo! Toh! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Za!. Zen! Ryn! Pyo! Toh! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Za!. Zen!"

With that last chant, he placed his hands on April, sending a surge of energy through her.

…

With that final chant, Leo placed his hands on his chest, causing a surge of energy to flow through him. All of a sudden, his strength returned to him, the poison leaving his system. Karai was in disbelief of what she was seeing and pulled out the remote she was using to control Queen Cobra.

"Kill him!" She ordered.

The snake hissed, darting at Leo as quickly as she could. She darted out one of her snake hands, but he just sidestepped away.

"Ryn!" He chanted, striking the hand and causing it to go limp.

Queen Cobra cried out as she struck out the second one.

"Pyo!" He chanted, striking the second one.

As the hand went limp, Queen Cobra flat out bolted at him. Leo then spun around and struck her head.

"Toh!"

Queen Cobra let out another cry as she went limp, before she could hit ground, Leo struck her in the stomach.

"Sha!" He yelled as his strike propelled her forward.

Queen Cobra collided with the wall the others were hanging in front of before dropping to the ground in defeat. Karai saw this and was in complete shock.

"No!" She cried out.

"How about you stop hiding behind your pet and face me one on one." He challenged, drawing a sword.

Karai gritted her teeth as she drew her own blade.

"Fine by me." She replied.

With that, Karai darted towards Leo, swinging his blade at her. Leo quickly blocked the attack as he stepped aside. Karai continued clashing her blade against his, every strike as intense as the last. With his strength returned, Leo had no problem keeping up with Karai's speed and ferocity. As the two locked blades, Karai was able to spin his blade around and knock it out of his hands. Seizing her opportunity, Karai tried stabbing him, but he quickly moved out of the way, causing her to strike a metal column. Turning to see Leo standing there, Karai tried swinging at his head, but Leo caught the leg and spun around, elbowing her in the gut. As Karai hit the ground she dropped her weapon. She tried to reach for it, but Leo kicked it away. She looked up to see him pointing his newly reclaimed katana in her face.

"It's over Karai." He told her.

"So what?" She asked. "You gonna kill me like you did my father? End the entire Oroku line yourself?"

Leo paused for a moment before putting his sword away.

"No." He replied. "I'm giving you one last chance to do the right thing. Don't waste it."

She growled at him as he walked towards his brothers and Casey.

"And Karai," Leo spoke up. "Your grudge is with me. Stay. away. From my family."

He turned around, surprised to find both Karai and Queen Cobra had vanished. Leo just sighed in response as he moved to free the others.

…

Back at the lair, April let out a small groan as she started to wake up. As her vision cleared, she was surprised to see Vernon, Irma, Splinter and Leo all standing over her.

"Guys?" she groaned.

"April!" Irma cried out, throwing her arms around April's shoulders. "You're awake!"

"Irma?" April let out. "What's going on? How are you-?"

"That's on me." Vernon spoke. "I thought this was the best place to bring you."

"Thanks Vern." April told him. "Leo… are you okay?"

"Just a little winded." Leo replied. "It's been a trying day."

April looked over, seeing a set of four mats laid out next to her. The rest of the turtles and casey occupied them, all of them slowly waking up themselves.

"Ugh… I feel like… puke." Casey let out.

"What happened?" Mikey muttered.

"We got our shells waxed by Karai's pet snake mutant." Raph answered. "What happened to her anyway?"

"She got away." Leo answered, looking away. "She hates us, Sensei. Hates me. I don't know if I can convince her of the truth."

"The truth?" Donnie questioned. "What truth?"

Splinter sighed before turning to his sons.

"The truth of Karai's true parentage." Splinter elaborated.

"True parentage?" Mikey asked.

"Karai is not a child of Oroku Saki, as we were first lead to believe." Splinter admitted. "Instead she is the daughter of my former master, Hamato Yoshi."

"What?!" Donnie, Mikey, and Raph let out.

"So, wait… Karai is our sister?!" Mikey exclaimed. "No that doesn't work. Aunt? Second cousin?"

"It makes her our enemy!" Raph told him.

"How can you say that?" Leo asked.

"Need I remind you she tried to KILL US today?" Raph responded. "She may be Master Yoshi's daughter, but she was still raised by Shredder. That kind of life doesn't just disappear."

With that, Raph walked towards his room, leaving Leo and the rest of his family behind. The door to his room slammed shut, causing everyone to flinch.

"Is he always like that?" Irma questioned.

"Pretty much." Mikey confirmed.

"Do not let his temper disway you, Leonardo." Splinter told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We both knew convincing Karai of the truth would not be easy, but it is still something that needs to be done."

"Don't worry, Sensei." Leo replied. "I'm not ready to give up just yet."

He looked up at the roof of the lair, as if looking up at wherever Karai was.

"One way or another, I'll bring Karai home."


	50. Turtles In Time

_Wait, I get to do one of these? Awesome!_

 _Oh, uh.. Right. I should probably introduce myself. My name is Renet, and I am a Timestress! Well, the official title is Assistant Time Master in Training, but that's a bit wordy for my taste. My job is incredibly important. I'm supposed to guard Time and Space, ensuring that time remains untainted and flows down its proper path. I've seen some pretty amazing stuff, but the coldest thing I've seen so far has been my childhood heros: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!_

 _Meeting them has been a dream of mine ever since I was a little girl, and now I'm on an adventure with them through time! I just hope I can get them back to their proper time period before Lord Simultaneous finds out._

...

Out in the city, the turtles perched themselves on a rooftop. While Leo stood on the edge looking out over the city, the others sat a bit behind him.

"Give it a rest Leo." Raph told him. "It's been weeks since we saw Karai. When she sicced a mutant snake to poison us!"

"She's gonna try again, Raph." Leo argued. ""And frankly, I'd rather her NOT try and go through our friends to do it. At least this way, we minimize the possible victims.

"Still pretty shocked that she's Master Yoshi's daughter." Mikey commented. "I mean, what are the odds?"

"Do you still think we can convince her of that, Leo?" Donnie asked.

"We gotta try, right?" Leo replied.

"Not saying we shouldn't," Donnie told him, "but if she won't believe us, we may have to let her go."

"I can't, Donnie." Leo insisted. "There's good in her. I can feel it. I just need to show her the truth… somehow."

"You sure that's the only thing you're 'feeling' for her?" Raph asked.

"Like you're one to talk Raph." Leo retorted.

"Hey, at least Lisa never tried to kill us!" Raph responded.

"No, she just tried to kick our shells when she learned we were the ones who mutated her." Mikey retorted.

Raph just grumbled in response.

"Man, if this is what happens to you guys when you have a crush, I am going to stay as far away from crushes as possible." Mikey declared, pulling out a nunchaku. "This turtle is dedicated to one thing, ninja-ing."

He then performed a series of moves with his weapon, which Raph couldn't help but mock.

"Nice moves." He replied sarcastically. "I think my bunny slippers just ran for cover."

Just then, a water balloon collided with his face, much to Mikey's amusement.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered. "Forgot about my water balloon throwing arm, didn't ya Raph?"

Donnie snickered slightly.

"Guess Dr. Prankenstein got you good, Raph." he commented.

Raph just growled as he went into the stair entrance on the roof.

"Hey come on Raph." Mikey called out, following him. "I was just yanking your- wait! No, don't!"

Just then, Mikey was launched across roof by a stream of water. Raph cackled, holding the end of a fire hose as he sprayed Mikey mercilessly.

"How's this for ninja-ing!" Raph countered. "Shell soaker!"

He then started waving the hose around wildly, spraying Leo and Donnie as well. All four turtles were laughing as water covered the rooftop. They were so distracted that they were caught off guard by a strange light that appeared above them. They all looked up, Raph turning off the hose as the light grew ever bigger, forming a large rectangle in the center of the sky. From this light emerged a figure, a young woman in the weirdest outfit any of the turtles had seen. She has a long, golden staff with an hourglass on the end, and seemed to float majestically out of the light…

Then she fell flat on her face. On top of Mikey.

"Ow…" he let out.

The girl groaned as well, picking herself up as she leaned on her strange staff for support.

"Not my best landing..." she let out before gasping at the sight of Mikey beneath her. "Oh my- I am so sorry! Are you okay?"

"I'm good." Mikey replied getting to his feet.

As the girl backed up to give Mikey some space, she was finally able to get a good look at him. Her eyes went wide, her staff tumbling from her hand.

"No way..." she gasped. "No way, no way, no way! Thank you Lord Simultaneous! Thank you!"

"Uh…." Leo let out. "Miss, are you ok?"

"Am I okay?" she repeated. "I'm better than okay! You're… you're the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Oh I have wanted to meet you since I was a little girl! You four were my favorite part of History 101 back in high school!"

"History?" Raph questioned. "What are you talking about? No one even knows we exist."

"Correction, no one knows you exist _yet_." The girl corrected.

Everyone just blinked in confusion.

"Right..." the girl let out. "Let me start from the beginning."

She picked up her staff, dusted herself off, and straightened her posture.

"My name is Renet." she introduced. "I'm a Timestress from the distant future, one where historians discovered your exploits and wrote you down as some of the greatest heroes of the 21st century."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait." Donnie interrupted. "Let me get this straight. You're from the future, and in that future, not only will we be discovered, but be seen as history's greatest heroes? You expect us to believe that?"

"It's true." Renet insisted. "You guys have saved the world. Many times."

"That's… awesome!" Donnie exclaimed. "High three!"

The turtles high threed instantly. Mikey then walked towards Renet, interested in learning more about her.

"Hey there, names Michelangelo." He introduced. "But, you can call me Mikey."

"I know who you are, Michelangelo." Renet replied. "I know all about your adventures. You've stopped multiple alien invasions, defeated the Shredder on countless occasions, and don't even get me started on your multi-dimensional adventure."

"Multi-dimensional adventure?" Donnie asked.

Renet went pale, putting a hand up to her mouth.

"Oops, spoilers." she muttered. "Can't have you guys knowing too much about your future."

"Right." Mikey replied. "So, what brings you to our humble city? Wanted to meet your heroes first hand?"

"Well, yes, but I'm actually here on my first official solo mission." she explained, glancing at the hourglass on her staff. "You four are about to be thrown into a perilous battle, and if I'm timing this right, then it will begin in 3… 2..."

Just then, Leo heard something fast approaching from behind. He quickly pulled out a sword and spun around, blocking a shuriken before it hit him in the head.

"1!" Renet declared.

As she said this, Karai touched down on the roof, her tanto in her hand as she glared at Leo.

"I don't know to commend you on your bravery for facing me, or call you stupid for risking your life so flippantly."

"Karai, just the kunoichi we've been looking for." Leo replied.

"Pay attention, future girl." Raph told her. "You're about to see history in the making!"

With that, Raph ran towards and clashed his sai against her tanto. Karai spun around him and rolled on his shell to get behind him. He quickly moved his head to avoid getting stabbed and tried hitting her with the blunt end of his sai, which she backflipped away from.

"Wow, not only to I get to meet the turtles, but Karai as well!" Renet cheered before something struck her. "Wait… is that my mission?"

Leo stepped in and blocked another one of Karai's blade strikes. He shoved her off before running towards her and clashing blades again.

"Karai, I don't want to fight you!" Leo insisted. "We're not your enemies!"

"You became my enemies when you slayed my father in cold blood!" Karai snapped. "You claim to follow the code of Bushido, but you're nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer!"

Karai then grabbed his sword strap and threw him across the roof near Renet. As he picked himself up, Karai charged at him again. As she swung her blade at him, he quickly dodged it causing Karai to accidentally slice as Renet. In a panic, Renet lifted her sceptre in defense, the tanto blade nearly slicing the staff in half.

"Oh no..." Renet let out. "Not good!"

The staff began to spark and fizz, a ball of energy emitting from it. She held it away from herself as it grew bigger.

"Um…" Mikey let out. "Is that supposed to happen?"

"No, it's not!" Renet exclaimed. "Everyone brace yourselves!"

The white light enveloped them before disappearing in a blink, taking Renet, Karai, and all four turtles with it.

…

The six of them fell through what could only be described as a vortex of time, which soon opened up into a large forested area. They all landed hard, each of them disoriented and confused.

"Ok… that's a lot more falling than I thought I'd do today." Renet admitted.

"What the shell just happened?" Raph let out.

"And when are we?" Donnie asked.

"I think you mean, 'when' are we?" Mikey corrected.

"That's what I said." Donnie told him.

"Oh..." Mikey realized.

"Oh man, this is not good." Renet let out, looking at the damaged time scepter. "The time circuits got fried. The scepter must have overloaded and forced a time jump to expend the excess energy."

"So where, or when, did it jump us to?" Leo asked.

"Japan, over 1000 years ago." she answered.

Karai, who had been listening to this exchange with ever growing fury, launched herself to her feet and grabbed Renet by the front of her cloak.

"Send. Us. BACK!" she demanded.

"I can't!" Renet quickly tried to explain. "I need to repair the time circuits before a time jump would be possible!"

"Can we even do that?" Mikey asked. "I don't know that much history, but electronics shops probably weren't that common place in ancient Japan."

"I carry spare parts with me for such emergencies." Renet assured him. "But I'll need to find a blacksmith or something so I can repair the staff itself."

"So we're stuck here." Karai snapped, shoving Renet backwards.

"For now at least." Leo replied. "Why not put the blood feud on hold until we get home? No sense killing each other while we're stuck here."

Karai glared daggers at him, then picked up her tanto and resheathed it.

"Very well..." she allowed. "Just tell me the nearest settlement isn't far."

"Shouldn't be." Renet reassured. "We just need to blend in as best we can. Luckily, the staff does have enough power for that."

She twirled it in her hand, slamming it down hard on the ground. A white light flashed across their vision, and when it disappeared, the turtles were wearing samurai armor. Karai's armor had been replaced with a peasant's kimono, as had Renet's futuristic robe.

"Aw, sweet!" Mikey let out. "I am diggin the samurai turtle look!"

"Well I'm not." Raph replied. "How do people move in these things?"

Karai looked down at her robe, glaring at Renet.

"Return my armor at once!" she demanded.

"The disguise is temporary." Renet assured her. "Once the Time Scepter is repaired and I transport us back to the 21st century, your normal attire, and weapon, will be returned."

Karai grumbled in response, crossing her arms in anger and begrudged acceptance.

"Come on," Leo spoke. "Let's get moving."

With that, the group got going, setting forth to find a place to fix the time sceptre and get them home.

…

As the group continued walking, the sounds of a distant battle began to ring out from the distance.

"Hey. you guys hear that?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, sounds like a fight's going on." Raph responded.

They all ran to the edge of the hill they were on to see some men dressed like ninja fighting against some samurai. The fighting was intense as the two groups clashed swords with each other. Some samurai chased down some ninja on horseback, trying to cut them down. One ninja jumped onto a tree and bounced off, kicking a samurai in the chest and knocking him off his horse. The turtles, Renet, and Karai continued to watch in intrigue.

"Dudes, it's an actual battlefield!" Mikey cheered. "With ninjas and Samurai! This is awesome!"

"We don't have time for a free show." Leo told him. "Though I gotta admit, seeing an authentic ninja battle is pretty amazing."

"Let me guess, the place we have to go is through there." Raph guessed.

Renet glanced at the time scepter's hourglass, wincing a bit.

"Unfortunately." she admitted. "We're just gonna have to wait the battle out before moving on."

Karai's eyes hadn't left the battle, the kunoichi studying the ninjas with a knowing look. As one of the samurai managed to knock one aside, it was left sprawled on the ground long enough for her to get a close enough look.

"The Foot Clan..." she whispered. "My ancestor."

As the battle continued, something started coming out of the brush. Everyone turned, a sense of dread washing over them. Finally, the figure came out, revealing himself to be a man in samurai-esque metal armor with blades on his arms, legs, and shoulders, a claw on his left hand, and an all too familiar helmet on his head.

"No." Raph let out.

"Freaking." Donnie cursed.

"Way." Mikey concluded.

"Shredder?" Leo questioned.

"Koga Takuza!" One of the Samurai in more flamboyant armor shouted, pointing his sword at Shredder. "I was wondering when you would show your face, coward!"

"I could not miss the chance to end your wretched life, Norinaga." Takuza countered. "Ninjas, attack!"

As the ninjas closed in on Noranaga, all of the turtles were completely dumbstruck.

"Guys… That's Koga Takuza, the first Shredder!" Leo exclaimed.

"And he's about as charming as his 21st century counterpart." Raph remarked.

"Wait, wasn't that the guy from that old bedtime story Sensei used to tell us?" Mikey questioned.

"Excellent question Mikey." Donnie told him. "Here's another. Where's Karai?"

They all looked around and found no sign of their kunoichi enemy. Renet's eyes went wide.

"No, no!" she said in a panic. "We have to find her! If she's loose, there's no telling the damage she could do to the time stream!"

"You mean like that?!" Mikey asked, pointing to the battle.

The others looked down and saw Karai kicking aside a samurai that was coming after Takuza.

"Yeah that's kinda what I meant." Renet let out.

"Koga Takuza!" Karai greeted, bowing respectfully. "I am Oroku Karai, your humble servant, and Kunoichi of the Foot Clan."

"What is this?" Takuza let out. "Some peasant wench dares to pass herself off as a member of my clan?"

Karai was taken aback, falturing slightly.

"What? N-no." she stammered, suddenly fearing for her life. "I- I truly am-"

"I will hear no more of this!" He shouted, batting her aside. "I have graver concerns than child trying to weasel her way into the Foot. Eliminate these samurai pests!"

Karai slowly picked herself up as she watched Takuza and the Foot fight against the samurai. Back on the hill, the turtles and Renet were getting restless.

"We gotta get down there!" Mikey declared.

"No!" Renet snapped, grabbing him by the back of his armor.

The back plating of the armor snapped off, causing Mikey to lose his balance and go tumbling down the mountain.

"Mikey!" the rest of the turtles shouted, diving after him.

As the turtles chased after, Donnie tripped on a stray tree root, causing him to fall into his brothers and tumble down the hill after Mikey. Finally, all four turtles landed on the bottom of the hill in front of the samurai and ninja. As the turtles picked themselves up, the samurai and ninja saw that Mikey's helmet had fallen off, revealing his face. They all gasped, backing away in fright.

"Yokai!" one of the samurai cried out.

"A kappa!" a ninja shrieked.

"They will curse us all!" Another samurai let out.

Takuza just narrowed his eyes in response as the turtles just stood there frozen.

"Uh… we come in peace?" Donnie finally spoke.

"Destroy them!" Takuza ordered, grabbing Karai by the arm roughly. You. You're coming with me, wench."

The ninjas moved in towards the turtles as the samurai backed away.

"Norinaga, we must flee!" a samurai told him.

"Agreed." Norinaga replied. "Fall back!"

As the samurai retreated from the battle, the turtles fought back against the proto-Foot Ninja. Raph quickly kicked one ninja away as Donnie batted another away with his staff.

"Mikey, we need an exit!" Leo declared as he blocked one sword attack with his own.

"On it!" Mikey called back, swatting away a ninja with a nunchaku.

He then pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it on the ground. The group was then engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke, disappearing into it. As the smoke cleared, the ninjas were left alone in an open field.

"The kappa have escaped." One announced.

"No doubt they returned to whatever ghastly realm they pulled themselves out of." another surmised.

"No matter." a third interjected. "We must return to Lord Takuza."

While the ninja withdrew, the turtles met back up with Renet on the hill.

"Well that went well." Raph remarked.

"That Takuza guy took Karai." Leo announced. "We have to get her back."

"Are you kidding?" Raph snapped, getting in Leo's face. "I say let Feudal Shredder shred her sorry butt."

"No way!" Donnie countered. "If we leave Karai here in the past, who knows what kind of damage she could reap on the timeline."

"Donatello's right." Renet agreed. "That what I was trying to tell you. Karai's interference alone has already altered the course of history. We need to find her before anything else happens."

Her time scepter then began sparking and fizzling, reminding them of its damaged state.

"We also need to fix the time sceptre." Donnie noted.

"Then we'll have to split up." Leo decided. "Donnie and Mikey, you go with Renet to fix the time sceptre. Raph and I will go and rescue Karai."

"I'd like to state for the record I'm doing this under protest." Raph voiced.

"Noted." Leo replied. "Let's roll!"

…

At the Foot's encampment, Karai was thrown at the feet of Koga Takuza. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was more than a bit angry.

"Let me go!" she insisted. "I'm telling you the truth!"

"Silence, wench!" Takuza cut off. "I refuse to listen to this farce! Now tell me who you are and who sent you?!"

"I told you, I am Oroku Karai, Kunoichi of the Foot Clan." she insisted. "I was brought here from the distant future."

"I will hear no more of this fairytale!" Takuza let out, turning to leave the tent. "Keep her contained. I have business in the village."

…

Raph and Leo walked through the woods and found a clearing housing several tents and numerous Foot Ninja walking around.

"Man, Karai could be any one of those tents." Leo let out. "It could take hours to find her."

"If we could even get inside the camp." Raph added.

Leo looked down at a pair of ninjas near the edge of the camp, a grin creeping onto his face.

"There's an old saying that I think fits with this particular scenario." he declared. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Raph smirked in response.

"I like that plan.

…

The two ninjas walked along the edge of the woods, surveying the perimeter. As they walked past a pair of bushes, they were violently yanked into them. The muffled sounds of a struggle issued out from the bushed, then a long moment of silence. Eventually, Leo and Raph emerged from the bushes, now wearing the ninja's clothes. Leo took a sniff and jeered back in disgust.

"I guess laundry detail isn't part of the Foot Clan's job description." Leo remarked.

"Let's just go." Raph said. "The sooner we get this over with, the better."

With that, the two made their way into the camp, beginning their search for Karai. As they slipped through the camp, they saw one tent being guarded by two more ninjas.

"Betcha the Princess is in there." Raph quipped.

"Sounds about right." Leo agreed. "I'll see if I can get rid of these guys."

Leo walked over to the ninja guarding the tent.

"Lord Takuza sent us here to relieve you." Leo said in Japanese.

"But our shift has not ended yet." one of the ninjas informed him.

"Do you wish to question Takuza's orders?" Leo asked.

"... no I suppose not." the second one replied.

With that, the two walked off, one of them brushing past Raph.

"Watch it, you ugly lump of dung." the ninja remarked.

Raph turned back to the ninjas as they left looking a little confused.

"What'd he say?" He asked.

"Oh, he just called you an ugly lump of dung." Leo replied.

"What?!" Raph let out.

"Shh!" Leo replied. "Let's just grab Karai and get out of here."

They opened the tent, finding Karai sitting on the ground struggling in her ropes. She looked up at the two turtles, sighing and sitting up.

"Took you long enough." she snarled.

"Well, we got tired of waiting for you to escape on your own." Leo remarked, smirking.

"Is this a rescue or a romantic comedy?" Raph asked annoyed. "Let's go already!"

Leo just rolled his eyes as he walked over to Karai and cut her free. She rubbed her wrist, then got to her feet.

"Let's get out of here before those idiots return." she commanded.

With that, the three ducked out of the tent and made their way out of the camp.

…

Mikey, Donnie, and Renet all quietly slipped through a small village on the outskirts of the forest. Mikey had a cloak on over what remained of his armor, hiding his appearance from the rest of the village. Luckily, no one seemed to be paying them much attention.

"Alright, the blacksmith isn't that far." Renet announced. "I just need to get the sceptre repaired quickly, then we can get back to your proper time."

"Then let's get smithing." Mikey declared.

After a bit more walking, the three found the blacksmith's shop.

"You two keep watch, and stay out of sight." she insisted. "I'll handle this next part myself."

Donnie went to heating the forge as Renet got to work. She reached into a satchel bag on her hip, pulling out several wires.

"Donatello, do you haves something small and thin I could use to pry the casing off?""

Donnie pulled out a shuriken and handed it to her. She took it and pried off the casing so she could work with the wires. Mikey stood close as she worked, marveling at her skill.

"Wow." He let out. "You're really good at this."

"I aced my shop class with flying colors, including the time displacement elective courses." Renet bragged.

"That is so rad." Mikey replied. "I'll bet you'll be the best time master ever."

"Well I don't know about that." Renet admitted. "I mean, I'm barely half an hour into my first mission and not only do I managed to break the time sceptre, but I transported you five here and probably negatively altered history."

"Hey, everyone makes mistakes." Mikey reassured. "Take it from me. But you know what I do when I screw up?"

"Tell yourself everything's gonna be okay, then do whatever it takes to fix the problem before others find out?" Renet answered.

"Well… yeah…" Mikey replied nervously. "But also never give up. If you keep at it, things will work out."

Renet smiled warmly, brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"Thank Michelangelo." she told him. "You're sweet."

Mikey perked up and blushed in response. Renet returned to work, replacing the parts before turning to the forge.

"Alright, I just need one cubic centimeter of steel to complete the patch job." she announced. "How many shurikens can you spare?"

"How many do you need?" Mikey asked, pulling out three with one hand.

She snatched all three, tossing them into the smelting pot and sticking it into the fire.

"This may take some time." she informed them. "Where's the blacksmith?"

Donnie looked around and saw the blacksmith leaning on a stool fast asleep.

"Looks like he was putting in an allnighter." Donnie observed.

"Wonder what he was working on that kept him up all night." Mikey questioned.

"No idea." Donnie replied. "But we better not be here when he wakes up."

After several minutes in the fire, the metal had melted, allowing Renet to pour it into a simple, square mold. She pounded it flat with a hammer, then wrapped the still warm metal around the staff, sealing it tight. As a final step, she lowered the staff into a large barrel of oil, quenching the burning metal and finalizing the hold.

"Perfect." she announced. "Rough patch, but it will keep the main circuits in check."

"If it will get us home, it'll be fine." Donnie replied.

Mikey casually looked out of the smith's shop and saw Takuza walking towards them.

"Uh, guys." Mikey spoke up. "It's the Shredder's great great grandpappy!"

Donnie went bug-eyed, grabbing Renet and pulling her behind a display of weapons. Mikey did the same, all three of them watching cautiously as Takuza approached the still snoozing smithy. He then kicked the stool out from under him, causing him to wake up as he hit the ground.

"I'm not paying you to sleep!" Takuza told him. "Where is the weapon you promised me?!"

The smith quickly got back to his feet and went over to the forge, where he approached an ornate box set up on a nearby table.

"I'll have you know I worked tirelessly on this weapon." he said, grabbing the box and bring it over to Takuza. "The metal was unlike anything I have ever worked with before. Where did you get it?"

Takuza opened the box, revealing a very familiar sword for the turtles and Renet.

"Let's just say it fell from the heavens." He replied, taking it out of its box and raising it over his head. "Just as the ninja were said to have descended from goblins, behold, the Goblin Sword! The Sword of Tengu!"

The three hidden time travelers quietly gasped at the sight.

"Now… for your payment." Takuza remarked, aiming the sword at the smith and blasting him through the wall.

Renet nearly squeaked in fear, but Mikey and Donnie quickly shushed her, slapping their hands over her mouth.

"This is bad." Mikey whispered.

"Agreed." Donnie whispered back. "We need to get back to the others."

Renet and Mikey nodded as they quietly slipped away.

…

Leo, Raph, and Karai were waiting on the same hill as before as Donnie, Mikey, and Renet came running towards them.

"There you guys are." Leo let out. "Tell me you got the sceptre fixed."

"Yes, but we have other problems at the moment." Donnie informed. "Takuza just invented the Sword of Tengu."

"What?!" Raph, Leo, and even Karai let out.

"I was afraid of this." Renet let out. "The scepter must have brought us to the night Takuza attacks Noranaga's palace."

"Please tell me it goes well and Takuza is just scared off or something." Mikey pleaded.

"It should, but with Karai's meddling, who knows what could happen." Renet told them. "You've altered history."

"This is not good." Donnie let out.

"Although… it could be a golden opportunity." Raph thought out loud.

Leo turned to him in confusion.

"Raph, what are you talking about?" He asked.

"We have a chance to change the future for the better." Raph elaborated. "We can end the legacy of the Shredder before it even starts!"

"Are you insane?!" Leo and Renet yelled at the same time.

"There is no way I'm letting you kill anymore of my family." Karai threatened.

"What?" Raph questioned. "Don't tell me you guys don't like the idea."

"We don't, and you wanna know why?" Donnie questioned. "It's because without a Shredder, Master Splinter will have no reason to come to New York, where he will adopt four mutant baby turtles. And then, who's gonna stop the Kraang invasion, and save the entire world?!"

"Alright alright, forget I said anything." Raph relented.

"Besides, we've interfered enough as is." Leo added. "History's probably already changed because Takuza and Norinaga's men were scared off by four monsters. Us."

"So what do we do now?" Mikey asked. "It's not like we can just warn the guy. They think we're yoka or something.

"Yokai, Mikey." Donnie corrected before an idea popped into his head. "Although, in Japanese mythology, yokai are said to be harbingers of doom, bringing messages to those in grave peril."

"I think having Feudal Shredder gunning for you with a magic sword qualifies." Raph commented.

"So we use our Yokai rep to warn Norinaga about Takuza's attack." Leo planned. "He'll have his men ready for what he has planned."

"Then let's do this, boys!" Mikey declared. "Kappa power!"

Everyone looked at him like he was insane.

"Is he always like this, or is that a recent development?" Karai questioned.

"Honestly, he comes out with new levels of weirdness everyday." Raph commented.

…

At the palace of Norinaga, the Shogun sat in his war room, looking over a map with a worried expression.

"Still no word from the southern flank?" Norinaga questioned.

"Nothing." a soldier replied. "Takuza and his men have completely vanished. Like ghosts."

"They are not ghosts, merely traitorous ninjas who seek to destroy this land and exploit its people." Norinaga insisted.

"Of course." The soldier replied. "The others think they may have been scared off by the yokai we encountered earlier today."

"The kappa, yes..." Norinaga remembered. "Their appearance was disorienting to say the least."

Just then, the candles in the room started going out, one by one. Both Norinaga and the soldier went stiff before drawing their weapons.

"Who goes there?" Norinaga demanded. "Show yourself!"

As if to obey him, four puffs of smoke appeared out of nowhere, and from those smoke clouds came the turtles, having shed their samurai armor so they could better convey their yokai presence.

"Yokai." Noranaga let out.

"Hear us Norinaga." Leo spoke in an ominous tone. "We come with a dire warning."

"Toga Takuza comes for you this night." Donnie continued, keeping up the terrifying voice. "Armed with the power of the heavens. He seeks to wipe you out."

"No…" Norinaga let out.

"You must ready yourselves for the coming battle." Raph added, also doing an ominous voice. "Before Takuza comes and destroys you all."

"But… Shredder's forces killed a good portion of our soldiers." Norinaga dreaded. "And the village has very few warriors."

Norinaga suddenly dropped to his knees in front of the turtles, much to their surprise.

"Honorable kappa," He pleaded. "I ask of you, no, I beg of you, help us in this dire time of need!"

The turtles all looked at each other in surprise before turning back to Norinaga.

…

A short ways away from the palace, Renet and Karai hid themselves in a tree overlooking the valley where the battle was set to take place. Renet seemed to be looking out nervously, her hands tightening around the Time Scepter in stress. Karai meanwhile was leaning against the tree trunk, her arms crossed irritably. Renet glanced over at her.

"Something's bothering you." she noted.

"Wow, you really must be from the future." Karai quipped. "Read about my bad mood in one of your history books?"

"Very funny." Renet replied.

Karai snorted, looking out towards the village. Renet followed her gaze.

"If he gets his way, the village won't last the night." Renet told her. "He'll wipe them out without a second thought."

Karai nodded once, her irritation giving way for a layer of fear underneath.

"I know what that sword is capable of." she informed Renet. "I could never understand-"

"How a man who claims to want to unite the world would use a weapon of mass destruction?" Renet guessed.

Karai opened her mouth to reply, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She sighed, nodding once.

"The legacy of the Shredder is not an honorable one." Renet explained. "It's a line paved in the bones of many and painted in the blood of the innocent. It's a path that far too many have fallen down… but it's not too late for you."

Karai looked over at Renet, who turned to face her as well.

"I know you see the darkness of the Shredder." The Timestress insisted. "I know that deep down, there's a part of you that knows that what you're doing isn't right."

Karai seemed genuinely torn, looking down at her hands.

"But… My father..."

Renet took Karai's hands in her own.

"You are not Oroku Saki." she interjected. "You are Karai."

…

Later that night, Takuza rode on horseback towards the castle. With the Sword of Tengu in hand and his armies following from behind, he charged towards the castle. As they approached the castle, Takuza took the sword and blasted the gate, tearing it to shreds. Once the gate fell his men stormed in, ready to destroy anyone that got in their way. Suddenly, a series of explosions sprang up around the courtyard, much to the ninjas surprise. The ninjas and Takuza looked around to find the source of this disturbance, the former all gasping horror as four shapes emerged from a familiar purple smoke.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey let out in a creepy tone of voice, the chain of his kusarigama hanging off his arms to add to his spooky appearance.

The other turtles all laughed viciously, jumping around the ninjas in the creepiest way they knew possible.

"Yokai." Takuza let out before turning to his men. "Stand your ground! We will not be intimidated by these… freaks!"

Just then, a smoke bomb landed in front of Takuza's horse, causing it to go on his hind legs, throwing him off. The ninjas scattered, drawing their weapons to try and defend themselves.

"Vicious kappa!" one shrieked. "They have come for our souls!"

Just then, Raph came behind that ninja and slammed him into a wall, knocking him out. Leo jumped on top of the fallen ninja, grinning like a madman.

"That's right, ninjas." Leo called out. "We yokai will steal all your souls! Through your butts!"  
Leo then let out a maniacal laugh as the ninja started freaking out. Mikey discretely snuck up from behind one and tickled his butt, causing him to shriek in horror. Raph watched him run, then turned to Leo in confusion.

"Through your butts?" he repeated. "Leo, you have officially lost it!"

"What? That comes from real japanese legend." Leo defended.

The panic the turtles caused was enough to send the ninja running for the hills. Takuza slowly got up to see his forces retreating.

"Cowards!" He called out.

This did little to stop their egress, leaving Takuza alone on the battlefield with the turtles.

"Your armies have abandoned you Shredder." Leo told him. "Surrender if you value your soul."

"I fear nothing from you, demons!" Takuza replied.

He then used the sword to blast the turtles, sending them all flying across the battlefield. As the turtles slowly picked themselves up, Takuza walked towards Leo and aimed the sword at him.

"I've never slain a yokai before." Takuza admitted. "I'm looking forward to it.

As Takuza aimed the Sword of Tengu at him, Karai came out of nowhere, kicking the sword aside so the blast missed its intended target. She got in between Takuza and Leo, clad in her armor once more and armed with her tanto blade.

"Not today, Takuza." she swore.

"Insolent whelp!" Takuza yelled. "You claim to be of my blood, yet you stand against me?!"

Karai just narrowed her eyes, pressing her attack.

"I stand for the innocent people of the village you seek to slaughter." Karai told him.

Takuza just growled as he tried slashing at her. She quickly backflipped out of the way as he readied the sword to blast again. The blast actually collided with her as she went flying into a wall.

"Karai!" Leo let out as he turned to Takuza.

Leo ran at him and clashed blades with him. Takuza was about to fire another blast when Leo brought his sword down on the Sword of Tengu, aiming it at the ground. The blast sent them both flying back and the sword spinning into the air.

"Karai!" Renet called out, jumping down from the tree and slamming her scepter on the ground.

White light enveloped Karai, and when it died down, Karai was wearing a pair of metal gauntlets. Figuring out what this meant, she leapt up into the air and grabbed the sword. Once she landed she turned towards Takuza, who was quite infuriated.

"That belongs to me!" He told her.

"You want it?" Karai asked, raising it up. "Then take it!"

She then blasted at Takuza, striking him right in the center of the chest. The blast sent him flying through the walls of the palace, until he burst through the other side and dropped off the cliffside towards the water below. The turtles, Karai, and Renet ran out to see what had become of Takuza.

"This is why you should never go bungee jumping without a bungee." Mikey remarked.

"You think he made it?" Leo asked.

"No idea." Donnie commented.

Karai looked down at the cliff, then at the sword in her hand.

"Donatello, what did history say about this sword?" she asked.

"It was taken from Takuza and cast into the ocean." Donnie told her.

"Right." Karai replied.

With that, Karai chucked the sword as hard as she could, tossing it out over the edge of the cliff and into the waters below. The six watched it fly, too far away to hear the splash, but close enough to see it go down.

"Good riddance." she huffed.

As she spoke, a thought entered Mikey's head.

"Dude's, I just thought of something." He spoke.

"That's a first." Raph jeered.

"I'm serious." Mikey insisted. "Remember that story Splinter used to tell us about Takuza? The four kappa that stopped him?"

"Yeah, the four kappa brothers." Donnie remembered. "It was our favorite story as kids."

"We just became our favorite bedtime story." Mikey told them.

They were all stunned for a moment, then Raph let out a loud, long groan.

"Can we just go home?" Raph insisted. "Please?!"

"Sure." Renet replied. "21st century New York, here we come!"

With that, Renet raised her sceptre and slammed it on the ground. Soon, they were all engulfed in a ball of white light, carrying them away from the cliff and out of Feudal Japan.

…

Within seconds, another light doorway opened up on the same New York rooftop from before, depositing the group on top of it. They all landed rather harshly, with Mikey ending up right on top of Renet.

"Uh… hi." Mikey nervously let out.

Renet blushed, pushing Mikey off of her before getting to her feet. She picked up the Time Scepter, looking at the hour glass before grinning.

"Yes!" she cheered. "Success! My mission is complete!"

"Mission?" Leo asked. "What are you-"

"RENET!" a massive, booming voice called out.

The six of them looked up to see a giant floating head appearing where the doorway had been. Renet flinched hard.

"Lord Simultaneous!" she called out nervously. "Hey..."

"I have been viewing your progress, and I have to say…" Lord Simultaneous spoke before his giant head form disappeared and a short man in a manlier version of Renet's robe appeared. "I'm impressed, kid."

Renet just smiled as the turtles and Karai looked confused.

"That's Lord Simultaneous?" Donnie whispered.

"Man, he should have quit while he was a head." Mikey commented before chuckling. "Get it?"

Raph just elbowed him as Lord Simultaneous walked up to Renet.

"I knew I had a good feeling about you, kid." He commended. "And you didn't disappoint."

"Thanks Lord Simultaneous." She replied gratefully. "I'm still completely shocked you made my first mission one with the Ninja Turtles."

"Um, excuse me?" Donnie interjected. "I hate to interrupt but, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Renet turned to them, bowing slightly.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you about what was going on." she explained. "You see, my mission was to ensure you were able to safely venture to the Feudal era, ensuring Norinaga's survival and the Sword of Tengu's ultimate fate."

"Wait a minute," Leo spoke up. "You mean, it was always meant to be like this? Us coming to Japan? Pretending to be kappa? Fighting Takuza and taking away the sword?"

"Karai tagging along and breaking the time sceptre?" Mikey added.

"Those last two parts were unexpected." Renet admitted. "However, time did right itself in the end, so everything worked out."

"But don't think that gets you out of all the paperwork you need to fill out for the proper repairs to the Time Scepter." Lord Simultaneous spoke up. "Your patch job is good, but it ain't perfect."

"I know, Lord Simultaneous." she told him before turning back to the turtles. "I guess I better get going."

Before Renet could leave, Mikey stepped in front of her, fiddling with the ends of his mask.

"Say, uh, Renet." He spoke. "Maybe, when that paperwork is done… I don't know, we could… kick it in the future together? Just you and me?"

"The future's off limits, boy!" Lord Simultaneous snapped. "It's dangerous to know too much about what comes next."

Mikey sagged a bit in defeat upon hearing that.

"But that doesn't mean we can't see each other in the future." Renet told him, pecking him on the cheek. "And between you and me, I look forward to seeing you again."

Mikey perked up instantly, backflipping through the air and landing in a triumphant pose.

"Yes!" He let out.

Renet chuckled in response before Lord Simultaneous opened a portal and went through it, with Renet following behind.

"Farewell, Turtle Warriors!" She called back. "See you in history!"

With that, Renet vanished, leaving the turtles and Karai alone. Leo turned back to Karai, expecting her to try something.

"So," He spoke, reaching for a sword. "Shall we pick up where we left off?"

Karai looked at Leo, then at the tanto still in her hand. She twirled it slightly, then slid it back into its sheath.

"No." she replied.

Leo lowered his hand in surprise.

"No?" He repeated.

"No." she repeated as well. "I- I have a lot to think about… So for now, I'll put our feud on hold."

She turned towards the edge of the building, making as if to jump off. She paused before she did, her eyes planted firmly on the horizon.

"Thank you." she let out. "For saving me from Takuza."

"Uh… you're welcome." Leo replied.

With that, Karai jumped off the edge, leaving the turtles alone and perplexed.

"That… was weird." Donnie remarked.

"Eh, I give it a week." Raph remarked, leaning against the edge.

"Maybe." Leo commented. ""But that's something for another night. After all this time traveling, I'm ready to be home."

With that, the turtles started for home.

"So how about that Lord Simultaneous guy?" Mikey asked. "Renet said he was a big deal, but to me, he really didn't 'measure up'."

A round of chuckling was had by the group.

"Oh come now Mikey," Raph spoke up. "Men of Lord Simultaneous' stature are in 'short supply'."

Even more laughing followed in response.

"Ok, knock it off guys." Leo chimed in, trying to sound serious but still chuckling a bit. "I don't think he appreciates how 'little' we think of him."

"Relax Leo." Donnie insisted. "I'm sure he has a 'short' term memory!"

The turtles laughed, their hysterics growing almost beyond control at this point as they leapt towards the next rooftop. They made it about halfway across before their momentum was suddenly stopped. They looked around in confusion, then immediately began plummeting straight downward and right into a dumpster. They landed hard, the lid slamming down on top of them.

"You know what…?" Mikey groaned. "I think we asked for this..."


	51. Mutant Gangland

_Yo everyone. My name's Mona Lisa. I was your average New Yorker until I became a not-so-average mutant salamander. I'll admit, my new body has some perks, but everything comes with a cost. Mine was that a slimy cat by the name of Old Hob tried to recruit me into his little gang. My new friends, the TMNT, kicked his stripey tail into next week, and I hoped that be the last I saw of him._

 _Boy was I wrong._

…

Night on Mutant Island was always a lively thing. Homeless and Mutants alike gathered around a large campfire, cooking whatever food they managed to get. Today, the Punk Frogs had managed to snag a few fish from the river, the heavenly smell filling the island as they cooked over the open flame.

"Smells terrific, boys." The Professor complimented.

"Thanks Professor." Napoleon Bonafrog said happily.

"The home grown spices will make those fish taste like they came out of a five star restaurant." Dr. Rockwell commented, giving Snakeweed a nod. "Your talents are quite extraordinary."

"Thank you." Snakeweed replied.

As the group continued to chow down, a figure began pulling themselves onto the island. They were dragging themselves through the dirt, and in doing so accidentally triggered a crude alarm system set up around the island. Several cans tied together with string began to clang together, acting as an intruder signal. Hearing this, the mutants quickly sprung up and readied themselves for whatever might be out there.

"One night..." Muckman growled. "Just one night I'd like to get through a meal without SOMETHING throwing a wrench in our plans."

"Until then, here we are." Rockwell replied. "Come on out, whoever you are!"

From the darkness, a figure limped into the light of the campfire, revealing themselves to be none other than Old Hob.

"No need to shout." the cat growled weakly. "I'm half-blind, not half-deaf."

"You!" Snakeweed cried out, shooting out a vine arm and grabbing him. "What are you doing here?"

"As… painful as it is to admit…" Hob replied, groaning as he spoke. "I need help."

His head then flopped backwards as he passed out.

…

Down in the turtles lair, Lisa had come down from the surface for a visit. She was currently seated on Raph's back as he did push-ups, a copy of Modern-Ninja magazine in her hand as she counted for him.

"51… 52… 53..."

"Comfortable up there?" Raph remarked.

"Quite." Lisa replied as Raph continued, even going one handed. "54… 55… move that hand before I cut it off… 57..."

Raph quickly retracted his hand as he continued. Meanwhile, Mikey was watching another episode of Crognard.

" _Crognard!_ " a large gorilla wearing a wizard's robe shouted, pointing at the barbarian. " _In the past, you have been an enemy of me, The Great Jojo Ohmo! But now, we must set aside our differences for the greater good!_ "

" _Agreed!"_ Crognard replied. " _Crognard and Jojo Ohmo must beat the evil slug people together! And Crognard knows how!"_

Crognard then picked up Jojo Ohmo and held him over head.

" _Crognard will use Jojo Ohmo as a weapon!"_ Crognard declared, charging into battle.

"Hey," Mikey spoke up. "You guys ever notice how the cartoons we watch are kinda just like our missions?"

"Seriously?" Leo asked, looking up from the Space Heroes pinball machine he was playing at. "You're reading way too much into a cartoon show Mikey."

"Yeah, they're just cartoons, Mikey." Donnie declared, looking up from his lab table.

Donnie then turned back to his work, trying to create a much desired retro-mutagen.

"Alright, retro-mutagen test number 97." Donnie announced as he poured in his concaction.

As the liquid poured into the solution, the resulting reaction exploded in Donnie's face, covering him and the lab in a purple foamy substance.

"Test results negative… again." Donnie noted, spitting a bit off his mouth. "Though surprisingly edible."

Just then, an alarm went off on one of his monitors. Donnie wheeled over and saw that Mondo Gecko was attempting to get into the lair with Pigeon Pete.

"Mondo?" Donnie let out. "And Pigeon Pete?"

Donnie then got up and went to the entrance.

"What's up Don?" Leo asked.

"We've got company." Donnie reported, opening the hatch that lead to the lair.

Instantly, Mondo and Pete dropped down, landing in a pile at the base of the hatch. They pulled themselves off of each other, looking around the lair.

"Whoa… nice pad dudes." Mondo complimented.

"I'll say." Pete agreed. "Sweet subway cars, pinball, if you ask me, all it's missing is some bread!"

"We got something better than bread." Mikey told him opening a pizza box. "Pizza crusts bra."

Pete immediately tackled him and went at the crusts.

"Oh where have you been all my life." Pete mused.

"Yeah yeah." Raph dismissed as Lisa got off him and he stood up. "But you guys didn't just come down here for the nickel tour."

"No we did not." Mondo agreed, getting back to business. "You are never gonna believe who washed up on Mutant Island."

"Elvis?" Mikey guessed.

"Old Hob." Mondo replied.

Lisa's eyes went wide as the turtles' collective jaws hit the ground.

"HOB?!" they exclaimed in unison.

"What's that mangy cat doing there?" Donnie asked. "Trying to kidnap the mutants to join his gang again?"

"Not this time." Pete declared, still pecking away at the pizza crusts. "He looked like he'd been hit by a bus. Then backed over and hit a few more times."

"The guy passed out almost immediately." Mondo added. "When he came to, he said he wanted to talk to you guys, and wouldn't say another word until you came."

"Forget it." Raph responded. "We don't owe that fleabag any favors."

"Hey, I'm not crazy about Hob either," Leo interjected. "But something powerful enough to take him out has got to be dangerous."

"You want to help that flea-ridden jerkwad?" Lisa exclaimed. "He kidnapped my mom and threatened to kill her!"

"Hob's a irredeemable jerk to be sure," Leo confirmed. "But what if whatever attacked him comes after us? We just need to know what he knows."

"How do we know this isn't some trick?" Mikey tried. "I mean, the guy's known for having a silver tongue."

"If it is a trick, then we'll let Raph and Lisa have him." Leo declared.

"I can live with that." Raph relented.

"Same." Lisa agreed. "Let's go."

…

Back on Mutant Island, Old Hob was sitting in one of the crude huts constructed on the island, thick vines and roots keeping him immobile. Snakeweed sat guard, staring down the cat who merely stared back.

"This ain't necessary." Hob told him. "I couldn't hurt you if I wanted to."

"Better safe than sorry." Snakeweed snarled.

Hob snorted.

"Talking seems to be easier for you." he remarked. "Congrats on that."

"Don't think I forgotten what you did to me." Snakeweed told him. "I should crush you right now."

"What's stoppin' ya?" Hob growled.

Snakeweed growled in response.

"Because he's better than a parasite like you." Rockwell interjected walking over to him. "The turtles and their salamander friend have just arrived, so you can bring this alley-cat miscreant out to the campfire if you please."

"Ok." Snakeweed replied, picking Hob up and taking him outside.

At the fire, the turtles and Lisa were waiting as Snakeweed dropped Hob onto the ground. Immediately, the roots and vines around him sank into the ground, immobilizing him once again.

"Alright Hob, we're here." Leo spoke. "What's this all about?"

"Not even a hello." Hob remarked. "I'm insulted."

"I wanted to greet you with a sai to your good eye." Raph replied. "Consider yourself lucky."

"Raphael." Hob said, grinning. "Nice to see you again. And Little miss Lisa. How's your mom?"

Leo and Donnie immediately grabbed Lisa before she could charge on the cat.

"Enough!" Rockwell spoke up. "You came here asking for help. Now that it's here, I suggest you not antagonize it."

Hob sighed.

"Fine." he huffed. "My gang and I were attacked… by Don Turtelli and his men."

"Don Turtelli?" Mikey perked up. "Of the fame Turtelli mob? One of the most notorious crime families in the history of New York?"

"One and the same." Hob confirmed.

Everyone just turned to Mikey with confused looks on their faces.

"What?" Mikey replied. "I know stuff."

"Well what does this, Don Turtelli have to do with us?" Donnie asked.

"Well, the word on the street is that Turtelli is fancying himself the new big man of crime now that the old guy, the Shredder, bit the big one." Hob informed. "So now, he's gunning for the one thing that poses a major threat to him."

"And what would that be?" Leo asked.

"Mutants." Hob confirmed. "I heard rumors he got his hands on some kind of 'anti-mutant' weaponry, so I went to look into it."

"And that's how you ended up looking like roadkill off Broadway?" Lisa guessed.

"Pretty much." Hob confirmed. "Most of my boys have gone underground until this problem is dealt with. So I decided to go to the only ones I could think of to take this guy down a peg."

"So you just want us to do your dirty work for you?" Donnie asked.

"Don't you get it?" Hob snapped. "Once these guys take out me and my men, what's to stop them from coming after you four? Or this island, or any of the other mutants living in this city?"

The group all looked at each other in realization, Raph pulling Lisa closer on instinct.

"Alright Hob, we'll work with you." Leo relented. "For now."

"Good." Hob replied. "Luckily, I still have Dogpound and Fishface searching the city for Turtelli's hideout. Once they find him, we'll head out."

"We?" Raph asked. "What makes you think you're coming?"

"I know where to find the two." Hob explained. "Besides, you need every hand you can spare. And that includes me."

Leo sighed in resentment.

"Fine, but no funny business." Leo told him. "Or I won't hold Lisa and Raph back."

"Fair enough." Hob allowed.

…

Meanwhile, in the city, Dogpound and Fishface were hopping from rooftop to rooftop, keeping a stealy eye out for Turtelli's men. The two landed on a rooftop, giving Dogpound a chance to sniff around for any sign of them.

"They're close." he reported, sniffing the air some more. "I can smell their expensive cologne."

"Bout time." Fishface remarked. "I was starting to wonder how long that scum could stay hidden."

"That bastard took out half my puppies." Dogpound snarled, his claws popping as he flexed them. "When I get my paws on him-"

"Heel, boy." Old Hob's voice told him.

The two mutants turned to see Hob walking towards him with the turtles and Lisa right behind him.

"You'll get your chance." Hob promised.

"What are they doing here?" Fishface asked.

"For your information, your boss asked for our help." Raph threw back.

"And we're only here because once Turtelli finishes with you deadbeats, they'll come after us innocent mutants." Lisa tacked on. "So don't think for a second this changes anything."

"The thought never entered my mind." Dogpound replied.

"Now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way," Hob interjected. "Any luck finding the mutant-killing slimeballs?"

"We got his scent." Dogpound told him. "He's close by."

"Good." Hob snarled. "Let's move."

With that, the group started moving out, with Dogpound's nose leading the way.

…

Meanwhile, at Gustou's Italiano restaurant, a middle aged man in a pinstripe business suit, hat, with a thin, well-waxed mustache, sat at one of the tables in the back. He was facing the door, a napkin tucked into the front of his shirt as he calmly and neatly ate a plate of spaghetti set out in front of him. While he ate, a pair of his men stood before him, giving them their report.

"I assume that the new equipment is working." the man guessed.

"Quite so, Mr. Don Turtelli, sir." one of the men told him. "Managed to take out a good half dozen of those puppies, as well as the one-eyed cat himself."

"Nice work." Turtelli complimented. "Once the rest of those freaks are out of the way, this city will be ripe for the taking."

"Then you'll finally be the top dog once again, Boss."

"Oh yeah." Turtelli agreed. "The Turtelli's ruled this town long before those ninja freaks and aliens came around, and I aim to get back what's mine."

"Good luck with that, Turtelli!"

The three men then turned to see the front door of the restaurant kicked in, allowing the turtles, Lisa, Hob and his goons into the building. Turtelli raised an eyebrow in surprise but remained mostly unphased.

"Well, seems there are still a few freaks I haven't accounted for." he remarked.

"We're a lot harder to get rid of than you think!" Donnie countered.

"We'll see about that." Turtelli remarked. "Boys, show them what you got."

Turtelli's henchmen then took out their guns and started shooting at the group, causing them to scatter. Dogpoung used his fist to shield himself from the shots as he ran up and smacked the goons aside.

Donnie danced around the bullets until he got close enough to knock the gun out of his hands with staff and strike him in the face.

Leo ran along the ground before leaping towards a wall and bouncing off it. As he leapt down, he drew a sword and sliced a gun in half. The good tried to hit him with what was left of it, but Leo easily blocked it before kicking him in the chest.

As Fishface kicked one henchman aside, Raph landed behind him and threw his sai at two goons' guns, causing them to backfire and knock them down.

"Had enough?" Hob asked as he used his claws to slice at an oncoming goon.

"Not yet." Turtelli replied.

Two more men pulled out two futuristic looking pistols. They shot at the group, Leo immediately blocking the bullets with his Katana. However, the second they hit hit blade, they exploded, covering the entrance in a red mist. The mist started spreading throughout the restaurant, causing all mutants present to start breathing heavily.

"What the..." Lisa wheezed. "I feel like… puke..."

Raph looked towards Lisa, but his vision was starting to get cloudy.

"I… I can't see…" Raph let out.

"The mist..." Donnie choked. "It's some sort of… nerve agent..."

"Specifically designed to attack mutant DNA." Turtelli confirmed. "But completely harmless to humans. Pretty impressive, isn't it?"

Hob struggled forward, using the collar of his coat to cover his nose and mouth. Donnie crawled over to Turtelli and tried grabbing his coat, Turtelli just smacked him with his cane, knocking him back.

"Looks like you mutants aren't as hard to get rid of as you say." Turtelli remarked.

"Guys…" Leo choked. "We need… to get out of here…"

Slowly, Mikey pulled out a smoke bomb and dropped it on the floor. The second the gas filled the room, the mutants disappeared.

"They're getting away!" one of the goons let out.

"Let them go." Turtelli told him. "They don't have anywhere left in this city to hide. Come on, let's get to the warehouse and check on the next batch of goods."

…

A few rooftops away, the group reconvined with Leo carrying Raph over his shoulder and Dogpound carrying Hob.

"Raphael!" Lisa cried out, looking at the red-banded turtle with worry in her eyes.

Raph shook his head in pain before wiping his eyes, trying to regain his sight.

"Raphael, are you okay?" she questioned, taking his hand. "Please, say something."

Finally, Raph's vision returned, allowing him to see Lisa standing in front of him.

"What'd you have in mind?" Raph asked.

"So am I to assume your sight has returned?" Hob asked, getting to his feet.

"Yeah I can see." Raph confirmed, turning to him. "Although looking at you, I'm already kinda missing the whole blind thing."

"Ok, Turtelli has go some serious firepower on us." Leo declared. "We were completely unprepared for what he's packing."

"If we're going to stop Turtelli, we're gonna need to cut off his weapon supply at its source." Donnie deduced.

"They have to be making that nerve agent somewhere." Leo mused, rubbing his chin. "If we can find out where, we can blow the place."

"Except we have no idea where it is." Mikey voiced.

"Au contraire, Michelangelo." Donnie protested, holding up his shell cell. "I was able to slip a turtle tracker on Turtelli during our little confrontation."

"That's a nice way of putting it." Fishface commented.

"Where do you even keep those things, Don?" Raph questioned.

"A turtle has his ways." Donnie replied.

"You done yapping yet?" Dogpound snapped. "We've got a mobster to kill."

"Killing was never part of the plan." Leo stepped in.

"You're rolling with the big boys now." Hob remarked.

"You want our help, you roll our way." Leo retorted. "Either that, or find him yourself."

Hob growled in response.

"Fine turtle boy." Hob relented. "We'll play it your way, for now."

"See that you do." Leo told him, getting the final word before they began their journey.

…

Across town at a seemingly abandoned warehouse, several chemists on Turtelli's payroll were working overtime creating more of the nerve gas. As Don Turtelli walked through the building, something small and fast followed him on the ceiling. It was a tiny cockroach with a camera attached to its head.

…

Outside on a nearby rooftop, Donnie was viewing the roaches footage on his shell cell with the others crowding around him.

"You seriously put a camera on a cockroach?" Lisa asked.

"Pretty sweet right?" Donnie replied. "We'll be able to see everything Turtelli's been cooking up."

"And you made your little toy a cockroach because…?" Raph asked.

"Well… it was all I had to work with." Donnie replied.

Mikey chuckled as he leaned in towards Lisa.

"Don't know if you know this, but Raph is deathly afraid of bugs." Mikey told her.

"Hey!" Raph let out. "That was when I was six, ok?! I may hate bugs now, but I ain't afraid of em."

"Then you won't mind the one I just slipped into your shell." Mikey joked, causing Raph to go wide eyed.

"Where?! Where?!" Raph let out as he leapt up and searched for the bug on his person.

Mikey just laughed in response, causing Raph to stop his frantic search and turn towards him, growling in anger.

"Remind me to pumble you later." Raph told him before turning back to Donnie, leaving Mikey with a blank expression on his face.

"I don't… I don't really have to remind him, do I?" He asked Dogpound and Fishface.

The two mutants just rolled their eyes as they huddled around Donnie. Mikey came over as well as on the screen, Turtelli walked over to someone in the shadows.

" _I gotta admit pal,"_ Turtelli spoke. " _I was skeptical about bringing you on, but your toys are mopping the floor with the freaks in this city. You're alright pal."_

" _I aim to please,"_ A figure in the shadows replied, before stepping into the light and revealing himself to be Baxter Stockman, now just a head with a robotic eye attached to a cybernetic body. " _Provided I get my cut."_

"Baxter Stockman?!" The turtles exclaimed.

"That nutcase is still alive?" Raph questioned.

"Man, he's harder to squash than a cockroach." Mikey commented.

"You know roboto there?" Hob questioned.

"A whack job scientist we dealt with a while back." Donnie explained. "Although it looks like he's getting into the business of mutant war profiteering."

"With Baxter Stockman on Turtelli's payroll, there's no telling what they'll cook up next." Leo dreaded.

"And he's got more than enough reason to come after us." Raph added. "He blames us for his current lack of body parts."

"He practically told us that when we last saw him." Mikey concluded. "He was all 'I get you turtles! And your little rat too!'"

Raph just smacked him upside the head before turning to the others.

"So what are we gonna do about it?" He asked.

"I say we blow this whole place sky high." Hob suggested before slashing a nearby antenna and causing it to fall over.

"Heh, you're pretty tough when they can't fight back." Mikey taunted.

Hob just hissed at Mikey stuck his tongue out back at him.

"Blowing the place may be our best bet, but that place is filled with anti-mutant gas." Leo reminded them. "I doubt holding our breath will do much good."

"Especially since not all of us are mutant turtles." Fishface agreed.

Donnie then suddenly snapped his fingers in reply.

"I think I have a solution." Donnie replied.

…

Down in the warehouse, Turtelli and Stockman watched as the latest shipment of anti-mutant gas was properly contained and packaged up.

"Be sure the boys get this latest shipment before those mutants try something funny." Turtelli ordered. "I wanna smoke out their stinkin species by the end of the week."

"Too bad you won't get the chance." Leo's voice called out.

Turtelli, his men, and Stockman all froze up and looked around for the source.

"Release the gas!" Turtelli commanded.

Immediately, several workers turned large metal wheels, releasing the red gas into the air. As the gas filled the room, some of the men could make out shrouded silhouettes of each of the turtles. Suddenly, one of the men was pulled into the smoke, immediately silence before he could react. Another one got some kind of spit shot at his face, making him go limp and fall over. As a third ran over, a chain was wrapped around him before he got pulled into the smoke.

"How are these freaks beating us?!" Turtelli let out. "They should be puking their own blood!"

That's when a long, pink tongue connected with the nape of his neck. He froze up in an instant, falling to the ground in a paralyzed heap. Stockman then looked into the smoke as the turtles, Lisa, and Hob and his cronies came out, each of them brandishing one of the atmosphere converters the turtles had recovered from their space adventures.

"Atmospheric converters." Stockman realized, recognizing the tech. "Very clever."

He then turned to the remaining men.

"Those straws in their mouths!" he explained. "Destroy them and they'll be helpless!"

"Gotta say Stockman," Mikey spoke as he bashed away thugs. "Love the new look. You went from Stock-Bot to Stock-Borg."

"Just Dr. Stockman will do, thank you very much." Stockman insisted.

"Or just annoying." Raph remarked, bashing another oncoming goon. "I think I'll stick with calling you annoying."

"This coming from smart alec ninjas." Fishface taunted, kicking a thug in the face.

"Watch it, sashimi-breath." Raph snapped. "I will skewer you when this is over."

"Heads in the game boys." Hob told them, scratching another henchman. "We got a job to do after all."

"Right," Leo agreed. "Donnie, do your thing."

Donnie nodded as he ran over to the gas. Before he could do anything though, Stockman came up and knocked him aside.

"I'm sorry Donatello, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Stockman told him.

Donnie quickly flipped back onto his feet and spun his staff, ready to go.

"It's kinda crazy to think once I admired your work." Donnie admitted.

Donnie then swung his staff at Stockman, who blocked it with his arm. He tried punching the turtle but he quickly ducked under the strike. Donnie then swung his staff up and struck Stockman in the head. As Stockman recovered, he grabbed Donnie by the strap and threw him across the room.

"Donnie!" Raph shouted, gripping his sai and charging at Dr. Stockman

Stockman turned towards Raph as he ran up and stabbed at him, only for the sai to bounce off the metal.

"Huh?" Raph let out.

"You pea-brained fool." Stockman taunted. "Did you really think I'd go through the trouble of designing this cyborg armor, and not reinforce the metal?"

Stockman batted Raph away with just one hand. The red turtle when skidding across the ground, crashing hard into the wall.

"Too bad you didn't install a volume control on that thing." Raph taunted, while groaning.

Leo and Mikey went up against Stockman next, keeping the cyborg busy as Donnie and Raph began coming to. As the purple turtle slowly regained his senses, he looked over at the side of one of the gas containers. His eyes widened as he saw a warning label that depicted a picture of a flame that was x-ed out.

"I've got an idea!" Donnie exclaimed.

He tapped his staff against the ground, activating the electrical relay on the end. Immediately, Stockman began to panic.

"You fool!" he screamed. "What do you think you're doing?! You'll destroy the entire building, and everything in it!"

"I'm counting on it!" Donnie shouted back.

Donnie then threw his staff like a javelin, striking one of the containers.

"Everybody run!" Donnie yelled.

Turtles, mobsters, mutants, and workers alike all bolted for the nearest exit as the staff finally lit the gas on fire. They barely managed to get clear of the building before it exploded with a cacophonous boom. The force of the explosion sent them all flying outward, skidding across the sidewalk and the road. Slowly, the groups started picking themselves up as Turtelli and his men turned towards the mutants.

"You may have won this round freaks, but next time it won't be so easy." Turtelli declared. "Your days are numbered Hob, the next time we meet, I'm going to skin you!"

"Just try you mobster has been!" Hob retorted. "This is the age of mutant kind. When the dust settles, and this war is over, we will be the ones that rule this city!"

"War?" Leo repeated as Turtelli and his men took off. "What are you talking about?"

"You mean you don't know?" Hob questioned. "This city has been wild up ever since Shredder fit the big one. Everyone's vying for top of the food chain. To tell he would have won with that gas at his. Thanks for helping me deal with it."

"So you just used us?" Raph asked, drawing a sai. "Give me one good reason not to skewer you!"

"Because I wasn't lying when I said he would have come after all mutants." Hob reasoned. None of your little friends would have been safe. Not even the ones hiding out on that island. Trust me when I say you want me to win this war and not the other schmucks."

The turtles and Lisa prepared to attack when the sounds of sirens cut them off.

"Guess we'll have to deal with this another time." Hob noted. "Thanks again for the assist."

With that, Hob, Fishface, and Dogpound took off.

"I really. hate. That cat." Lisa grumbled.

"So… what are we gonna do about that war Hob was talking about?" Mikey asked.

"That's something for another day." Raph dismissed. "Let's just go home."

As the turtles started for home, Leo looked back at the destroyed warehouse. He just knew there was a storm coming, and he hoped he and his brothers were ready for it.

…

Back at Hob's warehouse, Hob was pacing back and forth, speaking aloud.

"Men, this is the beginning of the end. The end of humankind reign over mutants. It's time for us to rise up against our human oppressors, and take a right for place as rulers of this great City.

He then turned to two of his latest recruits, none other than Bebop and Rocksteady.

"You to think you've got what it takes to take down the Purple Dragons as well as the Turtelli family?"

"Just tell us where to punch… boss." Rocksteady replied.


	52. City At War Part 1

_My name is Leonardo. When I struck down the Shredder, I thought I was reading the world of a great evil. What I didn't anticipate was the power vacuum that Shredders death left in the city. Now, every single criminal faction that exist in the city is vying for Shredder slice of the pie. And more and more innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire. I can't let this happen. Not when I'm the cause of all this._

…

Nighttime in New York City is known to be lively and vibrant, especially for a certain quartet of mutant turtles. The four brothers were on one of their nightly training runs, jumping across the rooftops in High Spirits, every now and then a ore hauler could be heard, usually coming from a rather excited Michelangelo. He had a pair of headphones stuck in his ear listening to a song on his Shell Cell.

" _Darkness Falls and the city calls,_

 _Time to play wouldn't have it any other way!_

 _Free at last, we step outside,_

 _To run around. No need to hide!_

 _On the rooftops, when the day is done._

 _Gonna be busting out for a Midnight Run!_

 _Runnin free, in NYC!"_

As Mikey landed on a rooftop, he eyed a billboard with a bullseye logo on it. He then took out his nunchaku and spun it around in a showy and stylish manner before extending the chain towards it. The blade of his kusarigama embedded itself into the target, only for it to land in one of the outer rings. Mikey slap his fingers, letting out a small hiss.

"So close, and yet so far." He let out as Donnie landed next to him.

"Watch a master show you how it's done." he said with a grin.

Picking his staff up like a javelin, he launched it at the target. It looked like it was headed right for the bullseye, but he missed by scant inches, hitting the innermost ring instead.

"What?!" Donnie exclaimed.

"So much for being the master." Mikey taunted.

"I still got closer than you did." Donnie pointed out.

"Take it easy boys." Leo spoke as he landed on the roof. "Why don't I show you both how to do it."

Leo then pulled out a sword and started flipping towards the billboard. He charged at it, letting out a war cry with each step. With one final leap, he tumbled through the air until he stabbed his sword into the sign, only for it to land right in the center of the innermost ring.

"Looks like Donnie is still the closest." Mikey declared.

Just then, Raph's sai came out of nowhere and hit dead center of the target.

"I win." Raph spoke.

"I give you a ten for accuracy," Mikey commented. "But a one for style."

"Yeah, well I don't know about all those fancy moves." Raph commented as he retrieved his sai. "I prefer just getting the job done."

"Doesn't mean we can't do both Raph." Leo told him, pulling out his sword. "Master Splinter says that grace and form should flow together in beauty, creating true power."

"Wow." Mikey let out. "It ain't Splinter if it ain't deep."

"Whatever." Raph decided. " C'mon, let's keep up with the run."

He then perked.

"In fact, I got an idea." he declared. "How does a little game of Follow the Leader sound? I'll go first."

"Fine, but since when did you become leader?" Donnie asked.

"Since right now!" Raph declared, taking off.

"Not for long!" Leo yelled back as he and the others took off after him.

Raphael took off onto the rooftops, the other three Turtles quickly catching up to him. My key turned his song back on, singing along as they all did their best to keep up with Raph.

" _Kicking into overdrive, feels so good to be alive._

 _Time is right for having fun on a midnight run._

 _Running free, in the NYC!_

 _Time to party on a midnight run."_

After landing on a rooftop, Raph managed to grab onto a loose clothesline, swinging across a rather large gap between buildings.

"Hey Mikey!" Raph called out. "Just your friendly neighborhood turtle man!"

"Not bad!" Mikey called back, swinging from another clothesline. "But you look more like Raph-zan, lord of the jungle to me!"

"So what's that make you? Jane, or Cheetah?" Raph jeered.

Before the banter could continue, something caught the red turtle's eye.

"Hey guys." He called out.

Mikey and Raph landed on a nearby rooftop and peered over the edge as Leo and Donnie ran up to them.

"What's up?" Donnie asked.

"Some kind of deal going down." Raph answered, gesturing down.

The four of them looked down to see some men in business suits, presumably Turtelli's men given how they were dressed, meeting with some cloaked figures in an alleyway.

"You got the stuff?" the lead thug asked.

"Do you have the payment?" one of the cloaked figures asked.

"Here." the leader replied holding up a briefcase.

The leader tossed the case to the shadowy figure, who caught it and placed it on the ground to open it up, revealing a large sum of cash inside. The figure took out a wad of cash and started counting the bills.

"You're seriously gonna count all that?" The leader asked. "We ain't got all night."

The figure growled a bit before replacing the money.

"This, is only half of what we agreed." He told him.

"Relax," the leader reassured. "The other halfs coming. Just as soon as we leave with what you promised us."

The figure then closed the briefcase and moved aside with his foot before stepping out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a Foot Elite.

"You, are not going to leave." the Elite told him before drawing his trident.

Several Foot Ninja then came out of the shadows to join their Elite leader.

"Foot Ninja, exterminate these insects." The Elite ordered.

"Exterminate us?" the leader repeated in shock. "We'll exterminate you! Let em have it boys!"

With that, the gangsters opened fire, causing the ninjas to scatter. While some were shot down, one made it to the fire escape and leapt down to kick a thug in the chest. He kicked another thug from behind and grabbed his gun. The gun was then shot out of his hands as the thugs continued shooting at them. One Foot Ninja threw several throwing stars at the thugs, nailing some of them in the chest, killing them. The fight carried on like this, with both sides taking shots at each other. A stray bullet was fired upwards near where the turtles were watching.

"Yikes!" Mikey let out, backing up.

"Come on!" Leo called out, drawing his swords. "We gotta get down there!"

"Whoa, Leo!" Raph called out, stopping him. "Where ya going? Those are all bad guys down there."

"But… it's not right." Leo replied.

"Right or wrong, that's not our fight." Raph insisted.

Just then, the sounds of a coming helicopter caused the turtles to hide as a spotlight showed down on the two criminal groups.

"Freeze!" the officer called out. "This is the police! Drop your weapons!"

A few more cop cars pulled up outside the alley, causing the two groups to scatter.

"There, ya see?" Raph pointed out. "Here come the good guys. A happy ending."

With that, he took off, with the other turtles following after.

"You really think that's the end, Leo?" Mikey asked.

"I don't think so, Mikey." Leo replied. "I'm afraid it's just the beginning.

…

In Japan, Karai sat alone in a japanese garden, deep in meditation. The events of her journey through time and first hand viewing of the Foots early history had been an eye opener. Ever since, she had been forced to deeply reconsider the Foot, Shredder, and even her own sense of honor. Her thoughts were chaotic and conflicted, unable to choose between her duty to the Foot, and what she knew to be right.

Her thoughts were interrupted by one of her aids entered the garden.

"Mistress Karai." The aid spoke, breaking her trance. "Forgive my intrusion, but I have dire news from New York."

Karai became troubled by this, fearing what could be wrong.

"What is it?" She asked, turning to him.

"The word is that with the Shredder gone, the powers under his control are vying for territory." He explained. "To put it bluntly Mistress, the city… is at war."

Karai's jaw dropped as she tried to process this information. Shaking her head, she got to her feet.

"Prepare my jet." she ordered. "We fly out immediately."

The aid bowed in response before taking off.

"It's time to set things right." Karai declared.

…

A few nights later in New York, Leo sat in front of the TV, flipping through the various news networks. Each story that came across the screen was worse than the last. Talk of destroyed buildings, drive-by shootings, and innocent people getting caught in the crossfire had the blue turtle seeing red. He threw the remote at the TV, watching as it bounced off the screen. His unusual display of aggression caught the eye of Splinter, who turned to his son curiously.

"What is it that troubles you, my son?" Splinter asked, walking towards him.

"Sensei, did I do the right thing?" he asked. "Killing the Shredder?"

Splinter was a bit taken aback by this.

"That is a… difficult question to answer, my son." Splinter admitted. "I have raised you four to believe that all life is sacred, even that of an old rivals."

"It's just…. I knew things would be different with him gone," Leo continued. "But I thought some things would change for the better. Instead, everything just got worse."

"Are you out of your shell?" Raph asked as he and the others came up towards them. "We did this city a favor taking out bucket head!"

"Did we Raph?" Leo countered. "It's war up there! People are getting hurt! Don't you feel even a little bit responsible?!"

"No!" Raph answered. "Whatever Hob, Turtelli, and those other jerks wanna do to each other, it's not our deal!"

"It is!" Leo responded. "Even if we didn't mean to make this happen, we did!"

"I kinda get what he means." Mikey chimed in.

"No one asked you, Mikey!" Raph threw back.

"Come on, we've taken on alien invasions!" Mikey continued. "What makes this any different?"

"The difference is that those were target at the world itself." Donnie responded. "This is just a bunch of gangs going after each other."

"And what about all the innocent people caught in the crossfire, huh?" Leo questioned. "What about them?!"

"My son, it is the nature of a good heart to want to do all the good that he can." Splinter told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But if you choose to bear the weight of the world on your shoulders, you will only succeed in being crushed under its weight."

"So I- I'm just supposed to sit here?" Leo demanded. "Do nothing?!"

"This situation is not something one can just charge into." Splinter explained. "Perhaps something can be done at a later time, but now it's too dangerous for you to get involved. So yes, for now, you must do nothing."

Leo stood there for a moment, then began backing away.

"I'm sorry Sensei." he let out. "But I can't do that. I can't!"

He then turned and ran out of the lair.

"Leonardo!" Splinter called out to no avail.

"That went well." Mikey let out.

"What a bonehead." Raph commented.

…

April stood in front of a mirror, tying an apron around her waist. Clipping a nametag to her shirt, she let out a sigh.

"The things I do for an extra buck." she sighed.

Putting on her best reporter smile, she walked out into a local diner and approaching her first table.

"Hello, welcome to Westway Diner." she greeted.

She took the order of a young couple sitting at the table, then moved onto her next table.

"Hello, welcome to-" she cut herself as she realized who was sitting at the table. "Casey?"

"April!?" He let out, looking up. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here." she answered.

"Really?" Casey wondered. "What happened, lose your news job?"

"Thankfully no," She told him. "I'm just trying to earn a little extra money."

"Saving for something special?" Casey asked.

"You could say that." April replied, playing with her notepad slightly. "I'm trying to get the 2nd Time Around rebuilt."

"Really? Cool." Casey commented.

"I've almost reached the amount I need." April continued. "A few more shifts and I can start ordering the repairs."

"Sweet." Casey congratulated her. "In that case, get me two slices of your favorite pie because we're celebrating."

"You got it." April replied before heading to the kitchen.

…

Across town, Leo had set up shop in an old water-tower, determined not to go home until things were settled. He plopped down onto an old cot, letting out a long, weary sigh. He'd been out all night, doing what he could to try and help.

"It's not enough..." he muttered, rolling over on his cot.

He had his back to the door, a piece of old, metal sheeting set up in from of a large hole. Because of this, he was taken off guard by the sound of someone entering his small camp. He quickly sprung from his cot and drew his swords.

"Show yourself!" He ordered.

The door fell back into place as a showy figure threw up their hands.

"Whoa there." a familiar voice called out. "I come in peace! I even left my tanto outside."

"Karai?" Leo realized, lowering his swords.

He reached over and turned on a small, battery-powered lantern. It illuminated the space, revealing Karai standing there. She kept her hands up as Leo looked her over, surprised to see her tanto gone from its sheath.

"Hey Leo."

"Hi." He let out, still dumbstruck. "What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Japan."

"I… came back." she replied, lowering her hands. "I heard about what's been going on. Couldn't stay away."

"I see." Leo noted.

Karai sighed, looking around Leo's set-up.

"I'm surprised you're out here by yourself." she told him. "You're rarely without your brothers these days."

"They're…. Back home." He answered. "It's just me out here."

"Seriously?" she questioned.

"Seriously." Leo answered. "Splinter says it's too dangerous to get involved but… I just couldn't sit around and do nothing."

"I know the feeling." Karai told him. "Though I'm surprised Chung- I mean Splinter said such a thing. He was never afraid to stand up against the odds before. What makes this any different?"

"I don't get it either." Leo admitted. "We should be out there, especially if innocent people are getting hurt because of us…. Because of me."

"Because you're the one who killed my father." Karai pieced together.

"Yeah…" Leo responded.

"Honestly, it's my fault." Karai admitted. "I was so… so angry at your brothers, at you for what you did. I let myself get consumed by vengeance that I shirked my duties as the Shredder's heir. I just thought that Nakumo would just do it all for me"

"I guess we're both screw-ups then." Leo jeered. "Where is Nakumo anyway?"

"Don't know." she answered. "Last time I saw him was before I sent Queen Cobra after you. By the way, she's not a threat. No more poison in her system after what you did."

"That's good to hear." Leo responded. "So the Foot are running around without a leader."

"Pretty much." Karai agreed. "They're scattered across the city with the Elites acting as the brains. Unfortunately, the Purple Dragons are running their own thing, and Bebop and Rocksteady joined up with some one-eyed cat. Bob? Rob?"

"Hob." Leo corrected. "We have a history."

"No surprise there." Karai quipped. "You seem to have history with the entire city."

"Eh, what can I say? Me and my bros tend to get around." Leo remarked.

Karai chuckled a bit in response before sitting down on a small crate.

"So, I'm guessing we're probably the only ones standing between this city and its ultimate doom." she remarked.

"Pretty much." Leo confirmed. "I've been doing what I can here and there, but it hasn't been doing much."

"What we need to do is get all the gangs together." Karai told him. "Specifically, the Foot. If we can get all the splinter groups back together and under control, the others should, and that is a big should, fall into line."

"The phrase, easier said than done, comes to mind." Leo replied.

"Believe me, I know." Karai admitted. "But it's the only plan we've got. I'm technically supposed to be their leader, and if they're still loyal to my father, they'll honor his final wish."

"Alright then." Leo relented. "If only because we don't have another plan. First we need to find the Foot."

"Luckily, I know where to start." Karai said, getting to her feet. "I was doing surveillance for the past week, trying to figure out the lay of the land. It's how I found you so easily."

She walked over to a map tacked to the wall, pointing at a warehouse on the east pier.

"The Elites are meeting with Don Turtelli's gang here at midnight tonight." she told him. "It may be our only chance to catch them."

"Then we better get to that meeting." Leo declared.

They slipped out of the watertower, Karai pulling her tanto out of the support beam. Leo noted it was within easy grabbing distance of the door, something that made him raise a non-existent eyebrow. She shrugged.

"What?" she asked. "We are technically enemies."

"Touche." He replied.

With that, they were off.

...

It didn't take the two ninjas long to reach the east warehouse. Creeping along an adjacent roof, they looked down at their target, Karai producing a pair of binoculars.

"I'm not seeing anyone." she announced before passing the binoculars to Leo. "You?"

Leo took a look around the area and saw a back door opening up.

"There, rear entrance." He pointed out.

They vaulted across another rooftop until they had a good view of the back entrance. They watched as the elites slipped out, closing the door before moving a dumpster in front of it.

"Something tells me that deal didn't work out." Leo guessed.

"And my father trained us to never let an opposing party walk away from a deal."

"I got a bad feeling about this." Leo dreaded. "We need to get in there."

Karai nodded as the two made their way down to the warehouse. They landed on the roof, looking through the skylight to see several of Don Turtelli's top enforcers unconscious on the floor.

"They're alive, for now." Karai noted.

Leo looked around as well and saw something on the floor. It appeared to be a piece of hi-tech machinery, and as Leo squinted at it, he realized it was Kraang in nature.

"We gotta move!" Leo let out, pulling out a sword and using it to break the glass.

He and Karai quickly drop down into the warehouse and immediately got to work. They each grabbed one of the goons on the floor and ran them over to a nearby garbage chute. Once all the goons were out, Leo ran over to the bomb and pulled out a sword, carefully sliding it into the casing.

"Ease does it." He said to himself. "Easy…"

Finally, he got it in far enough and opened up the casing. Unfortunately, the inside of a mess of wires. He went wide eyed at the sight as Karai walked up.

"You sure you can do this?" She asked.

"Hey, Donnie does this sort of thing all the time." Leo replied. "How hard can disarming a bomb really be?"

"We're doomed." she voiced.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Leo muttered before turning back to the bomb.

He looked over the layout of the device before eying what he believed to be the right wire. He then took his sword and sliced through the wire. The timer continued counting for a few moments before slowly dying. Karai let out a sigh of relief as Leo wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Guess we're safe after all." she let out.

"See?" Leo replied. "No sweat."

All of a sudden, the bomb began beeping rapidly, the countdown starting up once again. The two exchanged looks, then grabbed each others hands and went running for the window. Leo pulled Karai close, curling around her as he smashed through the window, seconds before the bomb went off. The explosion shot the two out the window and through the air, landing in the water below as the building. They surfaced, spitting out water as they stared at the flames.

"Next time, we just run." Karai insisted. "No playing Donatello."

"Duly noted." Leo relented.

They swan to the shore, getting out of the water. As Karai wiped water from her face, she glanced over at Leo.

"Why is it that whenever we're together, either I get wet, or something blows up?" she wondered.

"Just turtle luck I suppose." Leo remarked before they ran off.

…

"You know, you didn't have to walk me home, Casey." April insisted, pulling her jacket tighter around herself.

"I know, I wanted to." Casey replied. "Besides, the streets are getting crazy these days. You never know who's gonna try something."

"I suppose so." April allowed. "But you forget, I'm almost a kunoichi. I think I can handle a few..."

Her words trailed off as they rounded a corner, seeing several cop cars parked in front of Irma's apartment complex. Their lights were flashing and Irma seemed to be giving a statement to the detective in charge.

"Uh oh..." April let out.

April quickly walked over to Irma as she was wrapping up with the detective.

"Irma, what happened?" She asked.

"April, someone broke in!" Irma explained in barely contained hysterics. "They took everything! The TV, my laptop, all of my electronics!"

April suddenly went pale, turning towards the apartment and running in. She made a beeline for her room, Casey following after her. Once he caught up to her, he found her staring as an overturned dresser where a large, metal lockbox was sitting, the lock having been smashed open.

"They took it..." April gasped, falling to her knees. "All my money… everything I'd saved..."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she put her head in her hands, breaking down into sobs.

"It took me months to save up..." she cried. "Where am I going to get the money now?"

"April I…" Casey consoled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

…

Back down in the lair, Donnie had a map of New York laid out on a table with five crude mannequins set up. One was a bobblehead with black sharpie covering everything but its eyes. Another was a small garfield toy with one eye scribbled out. A third was a Colonial Mustard statue from a Clue board game. A fourth was a rubber duckie colored purple and a fifth was a plastic turtle with a blue headband. Donnie picked up the plastic turtle, turning it over in his hand with an air of worry and confusion.

"Where are you Leo?" Donnie muttered.

Just then, a pair of dice rolled across the table.

"Seven!" Mikey cheered, throwing his fists in the air.

"Mikey, what are you doing?" Donnie questioned. "Can't you see I'm trying to work here?"

"I know," Mikey replied, moving the garfield toy seven times on the board. "I'm trying to help."

"By turning my strategic map into some sort of tabletop game?" Donnie asked dryly.

"Makes the movements seem more realistic." Mikey reasoned as Raph walked up.

"What are you two doing?" He asked.

"Mapping out the gang war to try and find Leo." Donnie explained. "You see, it's been going like this."

He grabbed the bobblehead, holding it up.

"The Foot used to be the top of the food chain." he explained. "And everyone else fell into line. However, without Shredder around, the Foot lost their hold on the top spot, and everyone wants it."

He set the bobblehead down, picking up Colonial Mustard.

"Turtelli made the first move, moving in on Shredder's turf." he continued as he grabbed the purple duck. "Normally, Hun and the Purple dragons would stop them, but Hun's got his own plans now. Leaving a large portion of the Foot's territory open for grabs."

He set down both of the toys before continuing on.

"And as we learned from last time," Mikey went on, knocking over Colonel Mustard with Garfield. "Hob and his boys made a power play against Turtelli, and grabbed a ton of territory. It's chaos."

"So how does any of this help us find Leo?" Raph asked.

"Because, knowing Leo, he'd go where there's the most fighting." Mikey concluded, plucking the turtle from Donnie's fingers and dropping it in the center of the map.

"We head there, we find Leo." Donnie surmised.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Raph remarked.

"There is something that bothers me." Mikey voiced. "What do you think Turtelli and his mobster buddies are gonna do now that they're in last place."

…

Across town, Turtelli was meeting with some of his lieutenants to figure out what to do next.

"This is an insult, Don Turtelli!" one of them spoke up. "We've been getting kicked around by those mutant freaks while the Purple Dragons and the Foot are dividing up the city. We have to take action, now!

"We gotta do something." Another one insisted. "My own mother's giving me disrespect!"

"It's downright criminal I tell you." a third commented.

"All of you, shut up!" Turtelli yelled. "I hear ya, already. And it just so happens that our new friend, Baxter Stockman, has a battle plan that he promises will wipe em all off the map."

"That I do, Turtelli." Stockman assured the mobster. "Trust me when I say that you will not be disappointed with that I have in store for our enemies."

"Then let's get going!" Turtelli ordered. "Tonight, the city will be ours."

…

Meanwhile, Karai and Leo caught up with the Foot Ninja that bombed the warehouse and followed them from a safe distance. After several minutes of traversing rooftops, the Foot Ninja came to a stop at an old run down building. The two landed on the roof and piered through a hole to see the Foot Ninja training.

"So this is where they've been hiding out since Shredder died?" Leo questioned.

"Yep." Karai answered. "How the mighty have fallen..."

"Yeah…" Leo agreed. "You sure about this?"

"No," Karai admitted. "But it's our only shot. If I can convince the Foot to come back with me as my father wished, I can regain control of the criminal underworld and put an end to this pointless war.

"And if you can't…" Leo questioned.

"Then it's just the two of us against them." Karai answered, gesturing down to the veritable army below them. "All of them."

Before either of them could make a move, something grabbed them both from behind, pulling them away from the hole. Leo managed to break free and spin around, only to realize it was all three of his brothers, Raph still holding Karai.

"Yeesh, you'd think you weren't happy to see us." Mikey remarked.

"Guys?" Leo let out. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you don't get into something you can't get out of on your own." Donnie answered.

"We're like the calvary!" Mikey joked. "But without the horses.

"And considering the company you're keeping, I'd say we got here just in time." Raph added, glaring at Karai.

"I'm not your enemy, Raphael." Karai insisted, fighting every instinct to struggle in his grip. "I'm not going to hurt any of you."

"Yeah well I got some scrapes on my shell that would beg to differ." Raph remarked.

"Let her go, Raph!" Leo ordered.

Raph growled for a minute before shoving Karai off. She stumbled, then recovered, rubbing her arms where Raph had held her.

"Look, I know that I've made some… mistakes in the past." she allowed. "But right now, I just want to stop this war before more innocent people are killed. I don't want that on my conscience."

"You can do whatever you want for all I care." Raph threw back. "Just count us out of it. Come on, guys."

"No Raph, I'm staying." Leo declared. "I have to see this through to the end."

"See what through?!" Raph questioned angrily. "This ain't our war to deal with."

"Yes it is, Raph!" Leo insisted. "Don't you get it? None of this would have happened if we hadn't killed Shredder!"

Mikey went pale.

"Uh… Guys?" he let out.

"Taking out Shred-Head was the best thing we could have done for this town!" Raph retorted, ignoring his brother.

"Guys?" Mikey tried again.

"And look what's happened since!" Leo countered. "Gangs fighting, people getting hurt! How is any of that a good thing?"

"Guys!" Mikey shouted.

"What?!" Leo and Raph let out as they turned towards him.

He pointed behind them and they all turned around. As they did, they found themselves staring at all four Elites, as well as a large number of foot soldiers gathered on the edge of the broken rooftop.

"I hope we're not interrupting." One of the Elites declared, tightening his grip on his trident.

The turtles readied their weapons as Karai stepped forward.

"Elite Guard!" She declared. "I order you to stand down! This act of defiance is over!"

"You are not worthy to order us!" The Elite retorted. "You abandoned your right to lead. And now you stand with our masters greatest enemies?! Your fate is sealed!"

The other elites began brandishing their weapons, the other Foot soldiers following suit. Karai drew her tanto, backing up slightly.

"Okay… Plan A bombed." she muttered. "What's Plan B?"

"Us against all of them." Leo answered.

With that, the Foot charged at them full force. Leo quickly used his swords to block two oncoming ninjas. He clashed blades with them for a bit before kicking one of them aside and punching the other in the face.

Donnie quickly jabbed his staff in the stomach of one oncoming ninja before spinning around and smacking a second one aside. He saw a third coming at him, swinging a sword, but he quickly ducked it and swept his legs out from under him, knocking him to the ground.

Raph blocked one sword strike with his sai before abruptly kicking the ninja in the stomach. He then did a spin kick at another oncoming ninja just as he came up. A third ninja dashed towards him and tried swinging his sword at him. Raph, however, blocked with his sai, using his weapon to snap the blade before hitting the ninja with the blunt end, knocking him out cold.

Mikey spun his nunchucks as he slowly backed towards the broken edge of the roof. He had bashed away one ninja after another. One ninja continued swinging his sword at Mikey, only for the strike to be batted away by a nunchaku.

"Say haven't we met before?" Mikey asked.

The ninja said nothing as he continued swinging.

"Yeah, at the big fight at Shredders." Mikey continued. "Come on, you have to remember me."

Finally, Mikey wrapped his nunchaku around the ninjas blade and flung it out of his hands.

"I knocked you flat on your-" He finished before kicking him in the face. "Butt!"

Karai meanwhile, was fending off several Foot Ninja with her tanto blade. She just elbowed one in the face before blocking a sword strike of another. She quickly kicked him aside before backing up towards Leo. The two were back to back, fending off ninjas at a rapid pace.

"I have to admit, I never thought I'd find myself here." Karai told him.

"What? Fighting off members of your own clan?" Leo questioned.

"Fighting side by side with you." she corrected.

Leo was surprised by that, but smiled regardless as he blocked another sword strike and punched out another ninja.

Mikey just took out another ninja with his nunchucks as an Elite ran towards him. Mikey saw this and extended his chain towards him. The Elite leapt out of the way of the attack before kicking Mikey in the chest and knocking him into the building.

"Mikey!" Raph let out as he held off several Foot Ninja.

He quickly shoved them off as he charged at the Elite and tackled him into the building, causing them both to fall to the ground hard. Raph slowly picked himself up as he went over to Mikey.

"You ok, bro?" He asked as he helped Mikey up.

"Yeah, I'm good." Mikey reassured.

"You better be." Raph told him as Foot Ninjas began surrounding them "Cause we ain't alone."

Back up top, the fighting continued as Leo took note of his missing brothers.

"Mikey and Raph went down inside!" Leo called out. "We have to stick together!"

"Then why are we just standing here?" Karai exclaimed. "Let's go!"

With that, the three pushed past the remaining Foot forces on the roof before jumping down into the building, landing right beside Raph and Mikey. All five exchanged looks of determination before charging at the Foot full force. Each one of them taking down as many Foot Ninjas as they could.

Donnie bashed one ninja away before jabbing another one in the gut. As he fell to the ground, Donnie noted even more coming. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"Hmm, Bo Staff, plus a crowd of enemies that all look the same," He pondered. "Equals a once in a lifetime chance to try out one of my favorite movie stunts."

With that, Donnie activated his blade attachment and stabbed it into the ground. As the Foot Ninjas closed in on him, Donnie leapt into the air and spun on the staff, taking out the ninjas with a few deft kicks. He landed back on his feet, grinning widely.

"Wow, I can't believe that actually worked." Donnie marveled.

Leo at present was fending off several Foot sword attacks at once as he was driven to a wall. He dodged and blocked them as best he could, but they were becoming more numerous and more rapid by the second. Finally, he ducked under them and rolled out of the way.

Mikey was dealing with his own hordes when he was kicked in the shell by an oncoming Foot Ninja. Before he could even react, he was punched in the chest by another one, knocking him back.

As Raph kicked aside another oncoming ninja, he was tackled to the ground by several more and they began wailing on him relentlessly.

Karai was a blur of motion, blocking blow after blow with her tanto while unable to perform any offensive maneuvers.

While Donnie was blocking a sword strike, a second Foot Ninja came up from behind him and knocked him to the ground. Donnie quickly turned over and blocked a sword strike with his staff, the owner of which continuously pressing down on him.

"Guys…" Donnie let out. "I think we're in big trouble!"

…

Outside the building, an unmarked van pulled up alongside the building. The driver, one of Turtelli's top lieutenants, turned to his passenger with a skeptical look.

"You sure this is the joint?" he questioned.

"You're questioning me?" Stockman snapped, leaning forward and staring at the man. "I know where all of Shredder's operations took place, as well as all of the back-up shelters he kept around the city. This is the one right in the heart of the city, the most strategic place to hide out during these turbulent times."

"Trust him, Weasel." Turtelli insisted. "He hasn't been wrong yet."

"Yet..." Weasel repeated.

"Relax," Stockman reassured. "When they behold my latest creation, it will be, as they say, curtains for them."

The cyborg then pulled out a small remote from the glove box, hitting the large red button in the center. Upon pressing that button, something large and covered with a tarp began to move in the back of the van. Two men immediately opened the back doors, letting the machine out onto the street. It used a sensor in one of its optics to scan around the alley before finally settling on the building. A built-in thermal imaging system quickly locked onto the multiple figures inside, identifying them as Foot Ninjas and Turtles. The machine then fired a laser at the building, blasting a hole in the wall and sending several Foot Ninja flying. The turtles and Karai turned to see the massive robot entering the building.

"Whoa." Leo let out.

"That would be so cool if it wasn't trying to kill us." Mikey said with a slightly nervous edge to his voice.

The robot fired its laser again, causing all ninjas present to scatter. Leo and Karai took refuge behind a piece of fallen debris as the robots rampage continued.

"What the shell is that thing?" Leo asked.

"No clue." Karai admitted. "But it's gonna tear us apart unless we think of something fast."

Leo took another look at the robot and saw one of its optics scanning around.

"I think I have a plan." Leo relayed. "But I need you to draw its fire so I can take out its targeting system."

"Just try not to take so long!" Karai told him before running out.

Karai then bolted towards the robot and leapt on top of it, slashing at it with her tanto. One of its metal arms tried to grab her, but she quickly leapt into the rafters to dodge. She then leapt from rafter to rafter to avoid the barrage of blasts aimed at her. While that was going on, Leo stepped out and ran towards the robot.

"Time to get the job done." He said to himself, leaping forward.

As he leapt through the air, he brought his sword down on the robots optic sensor. He then pulled the sword out, blackflipping back onto the ground as the robot staggered back. It then began firing randomly all around, causing Leo and his brothers to move. One stray blasts forced Karai to leap down as it hit the rafters. The blasts to the rafters and even some of the pillars caused the roof to begin caving in and the building to collapse. The turtles and Karai looked up in horror as Raph turned to Leo.

"I hope you're happy, Leo." Raph growled as the building began to crumble around them. "I hope 'doing the right thing' was worth it."


	53. City At War Part 2

_My name is Oroku Karai, and I have made a grave mistake._

 _My father, Oroku Saki, the Shredder, was taken from me. Slain by the turtle Leonardo. I intended to avenge his death, but in my anger, I left his empire defenseless. The Foot, the Purple Dragons, the Turtelli crime family, and a group of mutants led by a cat named Hob have engaged in a massive war for control of the city, resulting in who knows how many people getting hurt along the way._

 _I couldn't sit by and allow this destruction to continue any longer. As soon as I returned to New York, I quickly found an ally in Leonardo, since he too wanted to quell the violence caused by this war. We managed to track down what was left of the Foot to a rundown flophouse, but before we could even start putting things right, Leo's brothers show up and the Foot attack us. And just to add on to the amount of crap piled against us, some freaky robot came in and started blasting up the place._

 _I knew restoring order to the city would be tough, but I didn't think it would be suicidal._

…

Across the rooftops of the city, a collection of uniquely shaped figures ran across, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. They all landed one one rooftop and stepped out of the shadows, revealing to be Hob and his gang of mutants, including the like of Dogpound, Fishface, Groundchuck, the mole recently christened Dirtbag, and Bebop and Rocksteady.

"You're sure this is the right way?" Hob asked.

"Yeah, the Foot are hangin at some bum joint, two blocks away." Bebop confirmed.

"They ain't expecting an attack on their home turf." Rocksteady added. "We got an advantage."

"And how do we know we're not walking into a trap?" Fishface questioned.

That had the two former Purple Dragons stumped. They rubbed their chins, trying to come up with an appropriate answer, but came up empty.

"You two were pretty comfy with both the Foot and the dragons," Fishface continued. "And now all of a sudden you want to join with us mutants? Why is that I wonder?"

"Because the second the chips were down, the dragons bailed on us." Rocksteady declared.

"Dropped us like hot tamales." Bebop agreed. "Said they had no use for 'a pair of worthless mutants' like us."

"But now you have a place here." Hob stepped in. "We've all been rejected by this city, by the world. That's why we need to stick together, and show these pathetic humans who the new masters of the world are. So no more throwing around accusations, Xever."

Fishface grumbled in response.

"If you say so, boss." Fishface relented.

"Good." Hob replied. "Now let's go make our mark on the world."

…

Back at the crumbling remains of the Foot flophouse, the turtles and Karai managed to survive by bracing themselves against a slanted wall, Donnie's bo staff keeping it from crushing them.

"Nice timing, Don." Leo complimented. "You really saved our shells."

"Almost makes up for leader boy here leading us into-" Raph started to complain.

"Guys, think we could continue this elsewhere?" Donnie cut off. "I don't know how much longer I can hold this."

Everyone quickly moved out from under the giant slab, Donnie pulling his staff free just as it was beginning to buckle under the pressure. Everyone quickly made it out of the way before what was left of the building collapsed.

"Okay, what the shell was that thing?!" Mikey let out.

"Based on the design, I'd bet Baxter Stockman was behind it." Donnie deduced. "Which means Don Turtelli can't be far behind."

"Well this is certainly not going according to plan." Karai muttered. "Not that things ever do when you four are involved."

"No one asked you for a commentary, sister." Raph remarked before turning to Leo. "And as for you, if them dropping a building on top of us doesn't convince you that we should STAY OUT OF THIS, then I don't know what will!"

"Never pegged you to run from a fight, Raph." Leo threw back.

"First of all, I never run." Raph told him. "Second of all, this wasn't our fight to begin with!"

"Well we're in it now, hothead." Leo countered. "So you better get over it!"

"While listening to you two devolve into your usual banter with one another is nice and all," Donnie interjected, "We've got a problem."

"Now what?" Raph asked.

Donnie pointed towards the rubble, showing that the robot was pulling itself out.

"Aw, give me a break." Mikey let out.

"Stockman has definitely upgraded the durability of his robots." Karai observed. "This isn't gonna be easy."

"You say that like things have ever been easy." Donnie replied.

The robot wasted no time firing at everything in sight. The Foot Ninja began running for cover as the robot marched forward.

"Donatello, any idea how to take this thing down?" Karai questioned.

"Hey, you don't get to ask Donnie anything!" Raph snapped.

"Seriously?" Leo let out. "You're doing this now?!"

Leo then leapt forward and tried slashing at the robot, to no avail. Leo leapt out of the way of a blast as Raph ran up and tried cutting at it with his sai. As the sai just grazed the metal, one of the robots arms swung around and knocked him aside. Karai ran up and tried to cut at the robot herself, but to no avail. What surprised her was one of the Elite's and a few Foot Ninja trying their hand at taking the robot down as well.

"So, now you finally decide to listen to me?" Karai asked.

"Hardly." the Elite retorted, slicing the robot with his spear. "Once the robot is dealt with, we will destroy you all!"

"Now that's the Foot we know and loathe." Donnie remarked, trying to stab the robot with his blade end.

"Fighting side by side with the Foot." Raph let out. "Now you know this is wrong."

"Less yaking, more packing." Leo told him.

Raph just growled before running towards the robot again. It was firing wildly, trying to hit any of its many assailants. As it did, a large bus began to make its way down the street towards the brawl. Upon seeing the insanity of the scene before them, the bus driver instinctively swerved. The bus got blasted by the robot, one of the front wheels blowing from the shot. It nearly tipped onto its side, but managed to remain upright, its passengers clinging to their seats as they skidded across the road. Finally, after colliding with a nearby telephone pole, it stopped and landed on the ground. As the doors opened, the passengers flooded out in a panic. Unfortunately, there was still one person left, trapped under some debris inside.

"Someone help!" He called out. "Please! I'm trapped!"

"Shell," Leo swore, hearing the man's cries. "There's innocent people inside! We have to get them out!"

"Finally, an order I can get behind!" Raph replied, following Leo inside.

Leo cut away at the fallen debris as he and Raph came up to the injured man.

"Wh-what are you?" He asked as Leo and Raph started to pick up the debris on top of him.

"Just your average, everyday hallucination." Raph told him as they finally got the debris off.

Once the man was free, they pulled him from the wreckage and passed him off to some of the other passengers. They quickly got him away from the fight, allowing the turtles to focus on their robotic problem.

...

The police had long since left Irma's apartment, leaving her and April to do clean-up. Casey stayed to help, his eyes never leaving April as she mournfully swept up some broken glass.

"I can't believe it's all gone..." April let out. "And I was so close to the amount I needed."

Casey then came to a decision, putting down his broom and dustpan.

"Tell you what, April." Casey told her. "I'm gonna get that money back."

April paused mid-sweep.

"You're what?" she questioned.

"This means a lot to you, I can tell." Casey replied.

"Of course it does." April agreed. "My dad loved that shop. I can't just let it sit there in burnt-out ruins."

"Exactly." Casey declared. "So, all we need to do it find the jerk-wads who broke in here and get your cash back. I'm sure if we work together, we can find them before you can say, Goongala."

"But how?" April asked. "They're long gone by now. Where would we even start?"

"We start with that." Casey answered, pointing out the window.

April turned, noticing a traffic camera set up outside.

"That'll work." April remarked, smiling.

…

In the Purple Dragons headquarters, Dragon Face stood in the center of a ring addressing the massive crowds.

"Listen up, Dragons!" Dragon Face called out. "This is our moment! It's time to show the Mob, the Foot, the freaks, and everyone else that the Purple Dragons aren't just a bunch of dumb street punks! We are the future!"

The crowd roared in agreement.

"And now, for the man who's gonna lead us into that future!" Dragon Face continued, gesturing to the catwalk above him. "Hun!"

Hun was sitting on the railing as a spotlight shown on him.

"Just what I always wanted," He remarked. "A tasteful introduction."

With that, Hun leapt down onto the ring, creating enough force to shake the entire ring.

"Like Dragon Face here said, our time has come!" Hun addressed. "We owe our great standing in this city to the Shredder to be sure, but now that he is gone, we are the true force of power in this city! We don't answer to the mob, to the mutants, and especially to some punk princess who never earned her position of power!"

The dragons cheered again, this time even louder.

"Tonight, the Purple Dragons finally take their place at the top of the food chain!" Hun promised. "Who's with me?!"

The entire headquarters echoed from the cheers of his men, every single Dragon raising their fist into the air as they shouted. Hun just smiled at the prospect

…

Back with the turtles and Karai, they had taken shelter from the barrage of blasts from the robot behind some debris. Their shelter was slowly dwindling as the robot continued to shoot away large pieces of it.

"Okay, that thing needs to go down." Mikey declared.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Raph snapped. "An entire building fell on it and it shook it off like it was nothing!"

"Well we need to think of something soon." Leo relayed. "We're running out of cover fast!"

Karai looked around and saw some downed power lines on the ground over by a fire hydrant.

"I may have an idea." she told them. "Donatello, do you think you could open that fire hydrant?"

"I think so." Donnie replied, piecing together what she was planning.

"Forget it, sweetheart." Raph dismissed, running towards the bus. "I have a better plan."

"Raph, wait!" Leo called out. "Come back!"

Raph didn't get the chance to listen as he strapped himself in and drove the bus straight at the robot. After tossing some Foot Ninja aside, the robot turned towards the bus and started shooting at it, causing it to take more and more damage with each shot. One shot managed to knick the fuel line, causing the engine to go up. The bus screeched across the street again, tipping onto its side before rolling.

"No!" Donnie shouted.

"Raph!" Mikey called out.

"I'll go help him." Leo told them. "You two help Karai with her plan."

The two nodded before Leo ran towards the bus. He used his sword to pry open the door before stepping inside.

"Raph, you ok bro?" Leo asked.

"Peachy..." Raph groaned, cutting through his seatbelt with his sai and dropping hard onto the ground. "Ow..."

Leo let out a breath of relief.

"That was too close." Leo told him, helping him up. "That stunt could have killed you."

"Oh so when I screw up, I get called out on it." Raph griped. "But it's just fine when your mistakes blow up in our faces."

"Getting involved in this war wasn't a mistake." Leo told him.

"Uh, guys?!" Mikey cried out. "Did you forget about the giant robot?!"

The two looked out to see the robot shooting at a stream of fuel leading straight for the bus.

"Table this discussion for later?" Leo suggested.

"Fine." Raph relented.

The two then ran like crazy before the blaze reached the bus, causing it to explode. The two were sent flying, crashing into a few trash cans set up on the curb.

Meanwhile, Donnie managed to use his staffs blade end to open up the hydrant, sending out a gushing spray of water. It washed over the downed power lines, causing the water to spark. Karai saw this and grinned.

"Everyone!" she shouted. "On my signal, force the robot back!"

"You got it!" Mikey called out.

They all gathered around the robot, forcing it so its back was to the sparking water.

"NOW!" Karai screamed.

Mikey and the Foot leapt to the air and struck at the robot, sending it stumbling into the prepared trap. Once it touched down on the sparking water, it began to short circuit. After fizzling out for a bit, the robot toppled over, finally destroyed.

"Nice work guys." Mikey complimented.

"Now maybe we can begin to-" Karai began.

"Destroy the turtles!" One of the Elites cut off.

Karai and the turtles braced themselves as the Foot began to close in on them.

"Guess some guys can't take a compliment." Mikey remarked, nervously.

As the Foot began closing in on them, Hob and his cronies looked down at the fight at play.

"Well well, how about this for fortuitous." Hob remarked.

"Told ya we'd find the ninja ninnies." Rocksteady told him. "And we delivered."

"And then some." Bebop added.

"So we get to take out the Foot, and crack some shells?" Dogpound realized. "Life is good."

Dogpound leapt off the building and fell towards the ground fist first. Leo looked up and saw Dogpound falling towards them.

"Move!" Leo yelled.

The turtles and Karai moved out of the way just as Dogpound's fist collided with the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the Foot flying back. As the dust cleared, Dogpound slowly stood up and looked over the ninjas present, with Hob and the other mutants dropping down next to him.

"Evening gentlemen." Hob greeted, brandishing his claws. "Hope we're not interrupting."

"Hob!" Raph snarled. "As if we needed any more trouble tonight!"

The mutants wasted no time charging into the fray, taking out ninjas and turtles alike. The spear Elite charged at Dogpound and tried to slash at him, only for Dogpound to block it with his fist. He then swatted him aside before pounding some oncoming Foot Ninja. Raph instinctively charged at Hob, but was intercepted by Fishface kicking him in the head. Raph tumbled on the ground before rolling back to his feet.

"You guys have lousy timing!" Raph called out.

"Oh, sorry for the inconvenience." Fishface taunted. "When would you prefer to breathe your last breath?"

Raph then bolted towards Fishface, his sai clashing continuously with his metal legs. Fishface tried swinging high, but Raph ducked under it before leaping up and kicking him in the head.

Mikey meanwhile was backing up slowly as Bebop and Rocksteady closed in on him.

"Uh… hi guys…" Mikey greeted nervously. "Long time, no see…. How ya been?"

"Been missing pounding your shell into the dirt!" Bebop grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"Ah." Mikey let out. "Good to know, I guess."

Bebop and Rocksteady then both tried pounding Mikey, but the orange turtle leapt out of the way at the last second.

"Hold still you little maggot!" Rocksteady snapped.

"Yeah, that sounds counterproductive, dudes!" Mikey called back, still dodging the duo's attacks.

As Mikey landed near a garbage can, he eyed the lid and came up with a plan.

"Captain America, eat your heart out!" He declared, grabbing the trash can lid and throwing it at them.

The lid hit Bebop in the face before bouncing at Rocksteady, hitting him too. Mikey punched the air, grinning widely. After regaining their senses, the two let out a huff of fury as they went towards Mikey. Seeing this, Mikey let out a nervous chuckle before taking off, yelling as he did so. The two mutants gave chase, with Rocksteady running on all fours and over turning several cars along the way.

Back with the others, Donnie and Leo saw Mikey's plight and became instantly worried.

"Mikey's in trouble!" Donnie let out. "We gotta-"

Suddenly, a laser blast came out of nowhere, nearly hitting them. Donnie and Leo turned to see two more robots like the one before appearing on the street.

"Oh come on!" Donnie screamed.

The two turtles moved quickly to avoid getting blasted.

Meanwhile in Turtelli's van, he and Stockman were enjoying the show playing out before them.

"I gotta admit Stockman, when you deliver, you deliver." Turtelli complimented. "Not only to we take out the Foot, but we'll wipe out half the cities freak population at the same time."

"A happy coincidence, I must admit." Stockman replied. "But one I came prepared for."

"Then make sure it's done." Turtelli told him. "I want them all gone."

"As you wish." Stockman replied.

…

Back at April and Irma's apartment, April and Casey managed to get a hold of the traffic cam footage with a little hacking on Irma's part. She leaned back in her chair and smiled.

"Child's play." she quipped. "Hopefully this will help you guys."

"Thanks a million, Irma." April replied.

"Anytime, April." she told her.

She then got up as April took her seat, scrolling through the footage.

"Let's see what we got here." April said aloud.

As April continued to scroll through the footage, eventually getting to the break in. Casey leaned forward, squinting at the screen. It showed two figures in hoods working to pick the lock.

"They don't look like they're part of any gang." he mumbled. "I'm not seeing a purple dragon on them, or any other symbol."

"So this wasn't related to the recent violence." April surmised. "Probably just some thieves who decided to take advantage of the chaos."

"May make it harder to track him down then." Casey guessed. "Not that I wouldn't like the challenge."

"Let's keep looking at this before we start ruffing up every low life in town." April cautioned.

As they continued watching the footage, one of the kids glanced over his shoulders. Casey gasped, hitting the pause button.

"No way." he let out.

"What?" April asked. "You recognize someone?"

"Yeah, I do." he replied, tapping the screen. "His name's Cody. He's been grabbed for B and E before, but I thought his pop sent him to reform school or something."

"Guess it didn't work." April deduced. "Know where we can find him?"

"Yeah, I do." Casey answered. "Though I may need to make a stop for my stuff."

"You don't think it'll get violent, do you?" April asked.

"In this case, I'm hoping not." Casey replied. "But, better safe than sorry."

"Then I guess it's a good thing Cody and his friend didn't steal these." April quipped, revealing her tonfas.

…

Meanwhile, Mikey was still on the run from Bebop and Rocksteady. Getting tired and wanting to end this Mikey jumped onto a nearby fire hydrant and leaped towards a street lamp. He then swung around on it before flying back towards the two mutants and kicking Rocksteady in the face, knocking him out as he landed. He then pulled out a nunchaku as he turned to face Bebop.

"Ready to join your buddy, porky?" he jeered.

"Not this time!" Bebop declared, pulling out two machine guns.

He immediately opened fire on Mikey, causing him to backflip out of the way.

"Hey!" Mikey called out. "No fair with the guns!"

Mikey threw a shuriken at one gun, clogging it, before extending his chain and wrapping it around the gun before pulling it out of his hands.

"Hey!" Bebop let out. "That's mine! Give it back!"

"Yeah… I don't think so." Mikey remarked, retracting his chain and spinning his nunchaku.

Bebop just squealed in anger as he ran at Mikey. Mikey did the same, spinning his weapon the whole time. As Bebop swung a punch at him, Mikey ducked under it and wrapped his nunchaku chain around Bebop's leg, causing him to trip to the ground, and skip right into a brick wall. The impact knocked him out instantly as Mikey got to his feet.

"This was fun boys." Mikey jeered before taking off. "Let's do it again sometime!"

…

Back in the big battle, the remaining turtles and Karai were getting overwhelmed on all sides. Foot Ninja coming from one direction, mutants coming from another, and giant robots smack dab in the middle.

Leo was fending off Hob's claw slashes as Donnie tried to hold off the ninjas. Raph was still clashing with Fishface as Karai was dodging the robots relentless blasts. Groundchuck charged at one of the robots and punctured it's metal exterior with his horns. The robot then smacked him aside, sending him flying into a building. Dirtbag picked up one ninja and threw him into a crowd of other ninjas coming towards him. He then used his tail to whip another batch aside. He then tried to attack Leo while he was still duking it out with Hob, but the blue turtle saw him coming by the reflection of his sword,and he quickly grabbed Hob and threw him into the mutant mole, taking them both out. His reprieve was only temporary when the Trident Elite leapt towards him and tried to slash at him. Leo quickly leapt out of the way and blocked another attack with his sword.

Karai quickly backflipped out of the way of an oncoming blast, only to get kicked in the back by an elite. As she fell to the ground, she quickly turned around and used her blade to block the elite's oncoming axe.

"We're not going to win this!" Karai insisted. "We need to get out of here! Now!"

"We can't just run away!" Leo told her. "We need to end this before anyone else gets hurt!"

"Do you even hear yourself right now?!" Raph called out. "There's a difference between heroic, and suicidal!"

"Never thought you'd agree with me, Raphael!" Karai told him.

"Don't get used to it!" Raph told her.

After blocking another strike with his sword, Leo quickly kicked the Trident Elite aside. Raph meanwhile ducked under one of Fishface's kicks before uppercutting him with the blunt end of his sai, knocking him to the ground. Donnie continued to block sword strikes with his staff left and right. Donnie quickly jabbed one in the face before crouching down and swinging his staff at the other two's legs, knocking them down. Karai kept batting away the Axe Elite's advancing attacks with her tanto, until finally she jumped up, kneeing the elite in the jaw, and kicking him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Whoa." Karai let out, landing on the ground. "We might actually pull this off after all."

"Uh, I wouldn't be too sure of that." Donnie interjected, pointing up.

The three ninjas looked up to a nearby rooftop and saw several Purple Dragons perching themselves on a nearby rooftop, with Hun smackdab in the middle of them.

"Leo, if we end up getting killed from all this, I'm holding you personally responsible." Raph told him.

"Why stop now?" Leo remarked.

"Dragons!" Hun called out. "Take em down."

With that, the Purple Dragons opened fire of everyone down there, ninjas, mutants, and robots. The turtles and Karai immediately ran for cover as the barrage began. It was about this time that Mikey was running up, instantly dodging and leaping over the continuous fire.

"Yikes!" Mikey let out. "Why didn't anyone tell me they brought in a firing squad?!"

After leaping over another shot, Raph quickly grabbed Mikey and pulled him behind some rubble where he and the others were hiding.

"Whew, thanks Raph." Mikey responded.

"Now will you admit this is crazy?!" Raph yelled at Leo.

"I hate to admit it, but Raph may be right here." Donnie relented. "We're in way over our heads. We have to get out of here!"

"Alright." Leo agreed. "Mikey, give us some cover!"

"You got it, boss!" Mikey replied, pulling out some smoke bombs.

He then threw them on the ground, engulfing them in smoke. The Elite ran over and leapt into the cloud, hoping to take them down, only to end up grabbing nothing but air.

Meanwhile, Hun and his men kept shooting at the crowd, with Hun even firing a rocket launcher at one of the robots, totaling it completely. This caused Turtelli and Stockman to begin considering a tactical retreat of their own.

"These punks are totalling your tin cans!" Turtelli let out.

"A minor setback." Stockman reassured. "Though, a strategic retreat may be in order."

"Agreed." Turtelli concurred. "Weasel, get us out of here!"  
Weasel floored the gas pedal, preparing to screech out of there. As they pulled out into the battlefield, dodging every shot being fired, the remaining robot turned towards them and primed its laser, causing Stockman to gulp.

"Well… isn't this ironic." He noted.

The robot fired, causing the car to swerve out of control. The van then toppled over onto its roof and slid into the remains of the destroyed building, burying them under a ton of debris. Before Hun could appreciate his apparent victory, the sound of sirens filed the street.

"Crud." he cursed. "It's the cops."

Hearing the approaching cop cars, and even seeing an oncoming copter, all parties began pulling out, making a hasty exit from the scene.

…

Later, the turtles and Karai retreated back to Leo's water tower, taking refuge inside. As everyone sat down to catch their breath, the other three turtles looking around.

"Nice place you got here Leo." Donnie admitted.

"Yeah, if we knew you were moving out, we would have helped you move." Mikey added.

"I'm not moving out." Leo insisted. "I just couldn't risk anyone following me back to the lair, so I was staying here."

"She found you, so I i don't think your hiding spot is a good one." Raph muttered, gesturing to Karai with his thumb.

"Even so, it should work fine for the five of us until we can figure out our next move." Leo told him.

"Oh, I got your next move." Raph said, standing up. "We go home, call it a day, and forget all this craziness."

"And let innocent people get hurt along the way?" Leo retorted. "Not a chance. We have to do something!"

"We tried doing something, and we just added more fuel to the fire!" Raph reminded. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, this ain't our fight!"

"You might wanna get comfy." Mikey warned, taking a seat on a box. "This could take a while."

"So I've noticed." Karai remarked, leaning against a wall.

"So who's fight is it?!" Leo asked. "The countless people caught in the crossfire?!"

"You can't fight an entire city of bad guys Leo." Raph reasoned. "The only thing you can do by trying is making it worse."

"So you just want me to sit here and do nothing?!" Leo exclaimed. "I can't do that Raph!"

"No offence Leo," Donnie interjected. "but we tried it your way and you saw what happened. This problem may be to big for us to fix."

"So what, we're just supposed to forget Bushido?" Leo responded. "Our entire code of honor?"

"Where's the honor in getting yourself killed?" Raph remarked.

"We can't just let these guys run wild." Mikey voiced. "They'll tear the city apart."

"Enough!" Karai interjected. "This fighting is getting us nowhere."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

"Man, why didn't you do that earlier?" Mikey questioned.

"For that matter, why didn't you stop this war sooner?" Donnie questioned.

"I was angry then." Karai explained. "Focused on killing you guys, and by then the gang squabbles were minimal at best. I kinda thought they'd just take each other out and the Foot would pick up the pieces. I had no idea how out of hand things would get."

"And you wonder why we don't trust you." Raph remarked.

"Shut it, Raph." Leo snapped.

"What, getting defensive about your girlfriend?" Raph mocked.

"She's not my girlfriend, Raph." Leo snapped. "She's trying to fix this mess, which is more than I can say for you!"

"That's because it wasn't our mess until you dragged us into it!" Raph threw back.

Karai physically got in between the two, looking beyond annoyed.

"Will you two stop it?" she begged. "If we're going to put and end to this war, we need to work together."

"Look, Princess." Raph snarled. "At this point, the only thing that could stop this war would be the Shredder himself."

Karai went to retort, but stopped, contemplating Raph's words. After a moment, her eyes widened.

"Raphael, you're a genius!" she proclaimed. "I know how we can put and end to all this! Donatello, do you think you could-?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Raph interjected. "We? What we are you talking about?"

"For my plan to work, I'm going to need all four of you to help me." Karai explained.

"Seriously?!" Raph let out. "After you've attacked us? Tried to kill our friends? Tried to kill us?! Give me one good reason why we should even consider-"

"Because I can end the vendetta against you!" Karai cut off.

A dead silence filled the water tower, even Raph's hot headed temper cooling in the wake of Karai's declaration. Taking a deep breath, Karai repeated herself.

"Help me end this pointless war, and I'll withdraw the Foot Clan from New York." she promised. "You will never have to fear them again."


	54. City At War Part 3

_Names Raphael, and you know lately, Leo's been a real pain in my shell._

 _The short version is that the city itself seems to be at war. The Turtelli Mob, the Purple Dragons, Hob's mutants, and the Foot Ninja are locked in a four way squabble over the pieces of Shredder's empire now that he's gone. Which has led to a lot of fighting, and a lot of innocent people getting caught in the crossfire._

 _It's a bad situation to be sure, but it's bigger than what we can handle. I just wish someone could tell Leonardo that. He's somehow got it in his head that this is somehow our fault, cause we're the ones who took out the Shredder in the first place. And if that weren't bad enough, the mother of all wild cards, Karai shows up, and actually makes the situation even worse. What makes it even crazier, is that she actually has a plan to stop this, and has promised to end our fight with the Foot if we help her._

 _The only good thing I can say about Leo right now is, when he picks a fight, he really picks a fight._

…

After Karai had delivered her offer, the turtles had fallen silent. The prospect of their lifelong battle with the Foot coming to an end was a dream come true. In fact, it was a little too good to be true.

"Karai, are you serious?" Leo asked.

"To be honest, fighting against you guys has proven to be more trouble than it's worth." Karai admitted. "And honestly, I'm not quite sure it's the right thing to do anymore. Pulling out of New York and sending the Foot back to Japan would be beneficial for both of us."

"Just… give us a moment." Donnie told her.

The four turtles then circled up to discuss their latest development.

"So what do we think?" Donnie asked.

"I think she can swim her butt all the way to Japan." Raph voiced.

"Let's not be too hasty here." Leo chimed in. "We've been handed a golden opportunity here. A chance not only to end this war, but end the feud between the Hamato Clan and the Foot Clan."

"It does sound pretty cool." Mikey admitted.

"If not a little too good to be true." Donnie admitted.

"I know it seems a little sketchy," Leo relented. "But you said it yourself Don, we can't fix this problem on our own. If Karai has a way to fix it, I say we try it, for now at least."

"I don't believe this!" Raph let out. "There ain't no way I'm teaming up with little Miss Foot over there."

"You do realize I can hear everything you're saying, right?" Karai spoke up.

"Raph, just cool it for a sec." Leo told him. "Karai's giving us an out. A chance to have our lives back."

"You really are this dense, aren't you?" Raph retorted. "The minute she gets control of the Foot, she just gonna come at us full force. She's using you, Leo!"

"I'm doing no such thing!" Karai interjected.

"Hey, butt out of this!" Raph called out.

"Raph, if you'd just get your head out of your shell and listen to me for a second," Leo continued.

"Listening to you is what got us into this mess in the first place!" Raph threw back.

"No one made you come!" Leo yelled. "No one's forcing you to stay!"

"Fine, good luck on your little crusade." Raph dismissed. "You guys coming?"

Both Mikey and Donnie looked back at Raph, then over at Leo and Karai.

"I'm staying." Mikey announced. "This can't go on, Raph."

"I'm staying too." Donnie agreed. "This may be our only chance to save our home, and protect our family."

Raph just growled in response.

"Fine!" He let out. "You guys can be the Foot's little toes if you want, but not me. I'm out of here!"

With that, he stormed out of the tower and dashed off the rooftop. The turtles watched him go as Karai approached, rubbing her arm nervously.

"I'm sorry." she apologized. "I didn't mean to cause a rift between you and your brother."

"Eh, it's not the first time he's tried ditching the team." Mikey reassured.

"Yeah, actually, this is kinda tame in comparison." Donnie added.

"Alright Karai, we're in." Leo told her. "What's your plan?"

…

In a rather seedy part of town, in a rundown brownstone marked as condemned, young Cody and his pal Danny were going through the loot they'd pulled from Irma's apartment.

"The laptop will get us a couple hundred from that pawn shop downtown." Danny reported. "We'll just need to scrub it clean before he hawk it off."

"That shouldn't be too hard." Cody replied. "I'm just shocked at how much was in the safe. Who knows what we could do with this much money."

"Easy." Danny told him. "Get the heck out of this dump. Maybe get some tickets to LA and live like kings."

"Yeah, that'd be sweet." Cody agreed. "Now keep digging. Let's see what else we got worth selling."

Just then, the door to the brownstone was kicked open, much to the two's surprise.

"Cody!" Casey's voice called out. "I know you're in here!"

Cody's eyes flew open as he jumped to his feet.

"Aw man, not him!" he shouted.

"Who is it?" Danny questioned.

"Casey Jones, that's who!" Cody replied.

"That nutcase with the hockey mask?!" Danny let out.

"Just give back what you stole and no one gets hurt!" Casey promised.

The two boys began sweeping their loot back into the bags they'd carried it in, trying to get it up before Casey reached them. Once they had it all bagged up, they made for the fire escape, hoping to give him the slip. Unfortunately as they reached the fire escape, April was waiting for them.

"Hi boys." She greeted. "You have a few things that belong to me."

Cody swung his bag at her, trying to knock her off her perch. She easily jumped over the swinging sack, bringing her tonfa down on the boy's hand. He yelped and dropped the sack, allowing April to catch it.

"Casey!" she called out. "The fire escape!"

"I'm there!" Casey called out, running towards them.

"I got this guy!" Danny boasted, grabbing a nearby pipe and running at Casey.

He tried swinging at him, but Casey quickly ducked under the swing.

"Kid, you're making me mad!" Casey told him, swinging his hockey stick to knock the pipe out of his hand. "So make it easy on yourself and stop."

"You're not the boss of me!" Danny snapped, trying to use his sack as a weapon.

It had about as much success as Cody's attempt did, Casey dodging easily.

"Keep at it, and you're gonna get a slap shot to the face." Casey threatened.

One of the swings actually hit Casey in the face, sending him stumbling back a bit.

"I warned you." Casey told him.

A quick swing at him with his hockey stick knocked Danny to the ground easily. This kid had a broken nose, and was clearly dazed. Casey aimed his hockey stick in his face.

"Just stay down, kid." he warned. "Trust me."

Deciding he'd been hit enough, Danny wisely stayed down.

"Now, to deal with your friend." Casey declared.

…

Back at the sight of the battle, after much hard work and digging, Stockman finally broke through the massive amount of rubble. He and Turtelli them made their way back to the street.

"Yes! I'm alive!" Stockman declared. "Once again, Baxter Stockman has made a mockery of fate."

"Yeesh, cool it with the dramatics, will ya." Turtelli told him, pulling himself free as well. "I'm happy to be alive too, but you don't see me make a big production out of it."

"Oh, I have quite the production in mind for you." Hun threatened as he and the Purple Dragons appeared. "Death of a freak show."

"Hun." Stockman let out, terrified.

"Relax." Turtelli reassured. "I'll make em an offer they can't understand."

"You can keep your offers." Hun told him, aiming a gun at him. "You might need them where you're going."

"Correction." Old Hob interjected, climbing onto the top of a pile of rubble with his buddies beside him. "You're all gonna need help when I'm done with ya."

"Aw great, you freaks again." Turtelli lamented.

"Hate to rain on your parade, Turtelli." Hob mockingly apologized, brandishing his claws. "But we got some business to settle."

Just then, a cloud of smoke appeared, signifying the arrival of the Elites.

"The mangy cat speaks true." One of the elites declared. "This war has gone on long enough. Now, it is time to end it!"

"Well then," Hob spoke up. "Let's end this, here and-"

Hob was caught off guard by the sight of something on an adjacent rooftop.

"No way." he let out.

The others turned to see what he saw, and what they saw shocked them to their very core. Standing before them, casting a shadow of fear and intimidation on them all, was the menacing, chuckling figure of the Shredder.

"Master Shredder..." The Elites gasped.

"Aw Crud..." Hun cursed.

"Shredder? Here?" Stockman let out, horrified.

"Boss? You're alive?" Bebop asked.

"How'd that happen?" Rocksteady questioned.

"That is not your concern." Shredder dismissed. "All of you, follow me. I have work for you."

He then disappeared back behind the building, vanishing from sight. The Elites didn't even hesitate to obey, taking off after their master with the foot clan in tow. Bebop and Rocksteady exchanged looks, then turned to Hob.

"Hey, it's been nice hanging with ya." Bebop told him. "But uh- Shredder scares us more than you do."

"Yeah, later!" Rocksteady added.

"Traitors." Hob snarled.

The mutants then took off, following after the Elites. After a minute, Hob let out a yowl of anger, taking off after them with his gang.

"Purple Dragons, move it out!" Hun ordered.

The dragons quickly followed after Hun, leaving only Turtelli, and Stockman.

"We're going to live?" Stockman realized. "We're going to live."

"That freak doesn't know when to stay down, does he?" Turtelli remarked. "Well maybe we can see he goes back into the morgue for good."

As soon as he said that, another car pulled in front of them, opening up for Turtelli. He climbed in, looking back at Stockman.

"You coming or not?" he questioned.

"If it's all the same to you, I'll sit this one out." Stockman insisted as he reached for something. "But if you insist on going up against Shredder, I suggest you take this."

Stockman then handed him a canister of mutagen. Turtelli looked at it, then at Stockman.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he questioned.

"Use your imagination." Stockman told him.

With that, the car drove off, leaving Stockman alone in the street. He prepared to walk off when a figure intercepted him. Stockman froze upon seeing him.

"You!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"

The figure said nothing, closing in on Stockman as the cybernetic doctor cried out in fear.

…

Back down in the lair, Splinter sat alone in meditation, hoping beyond hope that his sons were safe in all this madness. About that time, the door to the lair slammed open as Raph came in. He grunted in anger, heaving his sai at his punching bag. They embedded themselves into the eye sockets of the dummy as he approached in, wailing away in pure rage.

"Idiots!" He cried out. "All of em!"

"Raphael, where are your brothers?" Splinter asked.

"Shell if I know Sensei." Raph remarked, flopping onto the couch.

"What does that mean?" Splinter demanded.

"Karai got the guys involved in some moronic scheme for her to reclaim control of the Foot." Raph explained. "She sold them some bogus story about putting an end to the feud between us and them. And like sheep to the slaughter they believed her."

"So you left your brother alone against impossible odds?" Splinter questioned.

"What was I supposed to do?" Raph asked, sitting up. "Go along with it?"

"Of course you were!" Splinter snapped, slamming his stick on the ground and causing Raph to stand up straight. "You are family. You live together, you fight together, and you face the impossible together, regardless of who directs you."

"But Sensei, you don't honestly believe Karai's for real on this, do you?" Raph asked.

"Whether Karai's intentions are true or not is irrelevant." Splinter told him. "Your brothers have chosen to make their stand against the war in this city. Are you really willing to let them stand alone over petty spite?"

Raph just stood there for a moment, letting Splinter's words wash over him. Finally, he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, finally coming to a decision.

…

Meanwhile, in the remains of Foot headquarters, the turtle were sitting in the throne room waiting. While Donnie and Leo were perched on the steps, Mikey sat in the remains of the throne, mocking their former nemesis.

"I am the Shredder. Bow before me." Mikey mocked, doing an evil laugh.

"Will you knock it off?" Donnie insisted. "I feel like we're going to invoke his wrath by doing that."

"You should listen to your brother, Michelangelo." Shredder's voice interjected.

They all looked up to see Shredder entering the room.

"So, how'd it go?" Leo asked, walking towards Shredder.

"Better than I thought." Shredder relayed. "They have all taken the bait and are following me here now.

He then began twisting his helmet, pulling it off to reveal Karai underneath.

"They'll be here in a matter of minutes." she reported, her voice normal once again.

"Nice work on the voice synth tech, Don." Leo commended.

"Eh, nothing to it." Donnie dismissed. "Just a little rewiring of an old walkie-talkie mixed in with some old recordings of Shred-head's voice, and we have a Shredder voice box.

"Man, hearing Shredder's voice again gives me the willies." Mikey commented.

"Believe me, I know." Leo told him before turning to Karai. "Now, care to fill us in on the rest of your plan?"

"It's pretty simple." Karai elaborated. "I'll get control of the Foot and the Purple Dragons pretty easily. Then I'll have then take out Hob's crew and the mob in one fell swoop. The war will be over, and no more innocent people will be hurt."

"Yeah, and what about when the plan goes complete and horribly wrong?" Mikey asked.

"Well, that's where you come in." Karai told them.

"Right." Donnie replied. "So we're plan B. got it."

"I gotta say Karai, you're really going above and beyond for all this." Leo commented.

"I have to." Karai insisted. "None of this would have happened had I not shirked my duties as Shredder's heir."

"No offense," Leo cut in, "but I don't think being heir to a monster like the Shredder is-"

He was cut off by Karai turning back to him, scowling a little.

"Sorry." He corrected.

"I get it, Shredder was never one of the good guys." she told him. "He was far from perfect, but he was still my father. That may not seem like a lot to you guys, but to me, he still someone I felt was worth following."

"Shredder raised you, sure, but that doesn't mean you're fated to be him." Leo insisted. "Master Splinter's always taught us we are free to choose our own paths in life. So are you."

"Maybe someday I will," Karai hoped. "But tonight, my path seems clear."

She then put the helmet back on, her voice returning to that of the Shredder.

"It is time that the city's crime syndicates are reminded of their place in this world." She declared, the voice box making her words sound more menacing then they were probably intended. "Now, hide."

The three turtles nodded before vanishing into the shadows, awaiting the final outcome of this excessive war.

…

Across town at the brownstone, Danny was down for the count, but Cody was still fighting. After a narrow escape from April and Casey, the kid was booking it out of the alley, hoping to escape with his half of the ill-gotten loot. Unfortunately for him, Casey landed on the other end of the alley, waiting for him.

"Nowhere else to run kid." Casey told him.

Cody backpedaled, trying to go back the way he'd come before April landed in his way.

"Just drop the bag, and this all ends." she promised.

Cody looked back and forth between April and Casey blocking either side of the alley. Seeing no other options, he quickly pulled out a knife from his boot and turned to April. She went wide-eyed, tightening her grip on her tonfas.

"Don't do this kid." she warned. "You won't like what happens."

"Shut up!" Cody shouted. "Just stay back!"

"Last chance." Casey declared. "Hand over the loot, or we take you down. Your call."

Cody didn't waste words. Instead, he let out a yell and ran at April. She easily sidestepped his attempted stab, bringing her tonfa down hard on his wrist. He dropped the knife in shock, and April quickly kicked it away. She then swung hard, her tonfa connecting with Cody's nose. There was a loud crunch as he fell, moaning in pain as he held his face.

"Sorry about that Cody." April apologized.

"You broke my nose!" Cody exclaimed. "You psycho-!"

"Finish that sentence, and you'll have more than a broken nose to deal with." Casey snarled.

Cody went quiet before falling back on the ground.

"You ok, April?" Casey asked.

"Fine." April dismissed. "Come on, let's go get Danny and call the police."

They nodded and quickly scattered to do what needed to be done.

…

Back in Foot HQ, the gang forces began to arrive. First, Turtelli and his crew, entering through one side of the room. Next was Hun and the Purple Dragons, entering from the opposite side. Then Hob and the mutants, breaking a window and entering from there. Finally, the Foot crashed through another window, with the Elite's appearing in a puff of smoke. On the top of the steps of the throne room, "Shredder" stood overlooking them all. All this was being watched from the rafters by the turtles.

"I sure hope Karai's plan works." Donnie whispered.

"It should." Leo replied. "Once the mob and the mutants are dealt with, the Dragons and the Foot should stand down. The war will be over in minutes."

"Yeah but if it doesn't," Donnie responded. "It'll be the three of us against all of them."

"I'm just gonna say it." Mikey spoke up. "This plan kinda sucks."

This war is at an end!" Shredder declared. "I have returned to resume my rightful as master of this city!"

"Master, we thought you dead." The Trident Elite spoke up as the elites bowed. "We serve you, always."

"Master, I remain your loyal servant." Hun promised. "As does the Purple Dragons."

"We're with you two boss." Rocksteady added. "Provided you don't… you know, hurt us."

"Though you strayed from the Foot to join the likes of Old Hob and his mutants, you return to your rightful Master." Shredder told them. "You are welcome back, provided you don't make the same mistake twice."

"We won't boss!" The two promised. "We won't!"

"Good," Shredder replied. "Now… eliminate these pests!"

He gestured to Hob, Turtelli, and their respective entourages. Suddenly Dragon Face perked up.

"Hey, wait a minute." He let out. "This ain't right! We wanted to take over Shredder's empire, not get it back for him!"

"Traitor!" Hun declared.

"Seems to be a lot of that going around lately." Hob remarked, brandishing his claws once more.

"Shredder, we have a saying in our family…" Turtelli told him. "But you'll never live to hear it! Waste em!"

With that, Turtelli's men opened fire on everyone. Bebop and Rocksteady pulled out their guns and started shooting at Hob and his men, causing them to scatter.

"Protect the master!" Hun ordered.

"Forget Hun!" Dragon Face yelled. "Every man for himself!"

All the Purple Dragons start shooting randomly, hitting whoever they could. The Foot used their swords and other weapons to block as many shots as they could. In the rafters, the turtles were doing all they could to keep themselves from getting caught in the crossfire.

"Oh man, this isn't good." Mikey squeaked.

Hun fired a rocket at a wall near some mobsters, causing it to collapse on them. Turtelli ducked out of the way of the debris, causing him to hit the ground and the canister of mutagen to roll towards Hun's feet. Seeing the volatile substance on the ground, he picked it up and placed it on his belt before turning towards Dragon Face, who was shooting everything in sight.

"Yo, Dragon Face!" Hun called out. "Catch!"

Hun then fired another rocket at him, causing Dragon Face to duck out of the way. As he got back to his feet however, he saw the floor beneath him start to crumble and crack. He got up and tried to run, but his second step caused part of the floor to give out from under him. Dragon Face fell through the floor, down the massive hole left by Stockman in that climactic battle, screaming all the way. Bebop meanwhile was trying to gun down Fishface, who was dodging every shot directed his way.

"I've heard of shooting fish in a barrel!" Bebop let out. "But I thought they'd be easier to hit!"

"You talk way too much!" Fishface called out. "And that is saying a lot coming from me!"

Fishface then leapt up towards Bebop and spun his legs around, both knocking the gun out of his hands and kicking him in the face, knocking him to the ground as he landed.

"That's better." He commented. "I can finally hear myself think again."

As Fishface turned back towards the battle, he saw the turtles hiding in the rafters. A twisted smile graced his face.

"Hey, Dogpound!" He called out. "Looks like we got company."

After punching Rocksteady to the ground, Dogpound looked up and saw the turtles as well.

"Well what do you know?" Dogpound remarked, grabbing a nearby boulder. "Tonight just got a lot more interesting."

Dogpound then heaved the rock towards the turtles, much to their dismay.

"Incoming!" Donnie cried out.

The turtles then leapt out of the way before the boulder hit them, causing them to land in the middle of the battlefield.

"The turtles?" the Axe Elite let out. "Here?!"

"These freaks are the reason this whole stinkin war started!" Hun declared. "They took out the Shredder, they filled us with delusions of power! Here's what I say! We can rule this city together, or split it up in accordance to the master! Just as soon as we get rid of these freaks!"

"He's quite the motivational speaker, isn't he?" Mikey remarked, chuckling nervously.

"End them." the Spear Elite demanded.

"No!" Shredder ordered. "Forget the turtles! Eliminate Turtelli and this mutant pestilence."

"But master-" the Double Blade Elite spoke up.

"You dare question me?!" Shredder let out.

"This is getting too tense, boss." Weasel spoke up. "We should get out of here."

"Right." Turtelli agreed, before reaching into his coat pocket. "Oh by the way Shredder, before we go, a little gift from your old friend, Baxter Stockman!"

Turtelli then pulled out a grenade and threw it at Shredder. Shredder tried leaping out of the way but the shockwave knocked him down the stairs. The impact on the ground caused his helmet to fall off, rolling at Hun's feet. He picked it up, prepared to hand it back to him when he froze.

"Master… Shredder?" he let out.

Karai looked up, cursing her luck.

"Karai." Hun snarled.

The Elite saw the face of who they thought was their master with shock and disdain.

"You!" the Trident Elite let out. "You renounced your birthright when you abandoned us and allied yourself with the Shredder's greatest enemies, but to impersonate our master, is sacrilege!"

"I had to do something to get you to listen to me." Karai remarked.

"Sounds like you have some personal issues to deal with." Hob noted, backing away. "We'll leave you to it."

Hob let out a whistle, signaling the mutants to take off, leaving the turtles and Karai alone against Hun and the forces of the Foot.

"So much for plan A." Donnie noted.

"Then we go for plan B!" Leo declared.

The turtle then scattered out to fight the Foot head on. Donnie vaulted over the Double Blade Elite and tried swinging his staff at him, only for the elite to block the attack with his weapon and took a turn swinging at him. Donnie leapt out of the way of the blow and swung his staff at him again, causing the two to lock weapons.

Leo braced himself as two ninjas swung their staffs him. He quickly sliced through them with his swords and leapt in the air, split kicking them in a snap.

Mikey batted away several ninjas with his Nunchucks before the Spear Elite ran up. Mikey ducked under the swipe before back flipping out of the way and extending his chain towards him. The elite quickly grabbed the chain and brought his foot down on it, pulling Mikey towards him. As the elite aimed his spear at him, Mikey quickly flipped around, causing the blade to scratch his shell as he kicked the elite in the face. Mikey landed on the ground relatively unscathed as the elite flipped back to his feet, much to the turtle's dismay.

"Man, what was the Shredder feeding you guys?" Mikey asked, backing away.

"Mikey, now is not the time to be wise cracking!" Leo snapped.

"Well I'm sorry, but that's how I cope with stressful situations!" Mikey shouted back.

Karai meanwhile, was having her own problems, fending off both the Trident, and Axe Elite's at once. Her blade darted back and forth between them, but with Shredder's armor weighing her down, it was clear who held the advantage. Finally, the two kicked her in the stomach, sending her slamming into the ground.

The Double Blade Elite then shoved Donnie off and spin kicked him across the face, sending him tumbling back. The Spear Elite jabbed Mikey with the blunt end of his weapon, knocking him backwards as well. Leo moved backwards, fending off various sword attacks from various ninjas, until a stray kusarigama chain wrapped around his legs, tripping him up, after falling, his cut himself free and circled up with his brothers and Karai, increasingly becoming overwhelmed.

"Ok, we're outnumbered, outweaponed, and outmatched." Mikey observed. "What do we do now?"

"We fight, until we cannot fight any longer." Karai answered. "Then we take as many with us when we go."

"You do realize the odds against us are like a thousand to one, right?" Donnie reminded.

"I don't care!" Karai replied. "I'm gonna see this through to the bitter end!"

"The Shredder may have raised you Karai, but you're nothing like him." Leo told her.

"How so?" She asked.

"You understand honor in a way he never could." Leo said, smiling.

The comment caused Karai to smile as well.

"Hun, eliminate these insects." the Spear Elite ordered. "And we will not forget your help when the Elite rules this city!"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Hun grinned. "I've wanted to waste this little girl since the first day we met."

Hun aimed his gun at Karai and the turtles, ready to fire and end them. Just then, several shruiken flew in from nowhere and clogged up the gun. The weapon began sparking as Hun held it, causing him to throw it aside before it exploded. The explosion filled the room up with smoke as a familiar figure entered the fray.

"Didn't your mom ever teach you it isn't nice to threaten a lady?" Raph quipped.

"Raph!" all four of them called out.

"Kill him!" the Axe Elite cried out.

The Foot charged towards Raph, who drew his sai in readiness. The others ran towards him and began fighting off the Foot alongside him.

"I didn't expect you to return." Karai spoke up. "You made it quite clear you wanted nothing to do with this fight."

"Well I calmed down, thought about it," Raph explained, kicking a few Foot ninja aside. "And realized I was-"

He then spun around and punched out another oncoming ninja.

"Being an idiot." he finished.

"You figured that out all on your own?" Mikey asked, wrapping his chain around the Spear Elite's weapon and pulling it aside before kicking him in the face.

"Well… I had a little help." Raph admitted.

Just then, from out of the smoke, Master Splinter leapt out and kicked the Axe Elite aside before batting away three more ninjas behind him.

"Master Splinter!" Leo, Don, and Mikey called out.

"My sons, I feared we may be too late!" Splinter replied, knocking another ninja aside.

"You're just in time, Sensei." Leo assured him, blocking the Double Blade Elite's attack.

Leo then shoved him off before Raph came up and kicked him from behind, allowing Leo to strike him in the stomach with the blunt end of his sword, causing him to fall to the ground.

Karai meanwhile was duking it out with the last Elite standing, the Trident Elite.

"Come on guys!" she called out. "Let's finish this!"

She was met with a chorus of cheers as they swarmed the group, the tide of battle in their favor once more. As Karai clashed with the Elite, Leo came up and sliced his weapon in two. Raph and Donnie quickly leapt up and kicked him into a beam, where Mikey tied him up with his chain. Once the Elite was properly restrained, Karai walked up to him, weapon clenched in her hand.

"I am Oroku Karai," She declared. "daughter of Oroku Saki, heir to the Shredder, and rightful master of the Foot Clan. And you will follow me."

"Never!" The Elite insisted.

Enraged, Karai took her blade into both hands and raised it over her head. The turtles all flinched as she brought it down. However, rather than split the unfortunate Elite in two, she merely split his hat down the middle, allowing the two pieces to float to the floor. She met the Elite's eyes, giving him the coldest stare she could manage.

"Swear fealty to me, or your life, and the lives of your brethren, are forfeit." she promised.

"I… swear it." the Elite finally relented. " _Tiasen!"_

The three other Elite's bowed in response. She then turned to Hun, aiming her tanto in his direction.

"Your turn, unless you want to join Dragon Face."

"Never!" Hun yelled, grabbing a fallen beam and smacking her aside.

As Karai fell to the floor, Hun stood over her, with the beam overhead.

I will never serve you!" he declared.

He then felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw Leo and Raph standing behind him before punching him in the face. Hun stumbled back a bit before trying to swing at them again. While Leo ducked under the beam, Raph leapt on top of it before bouncing of and kicking him in the face. This caused him to stumble back towards the broken window. He scrambled to try and gain his balance, even grabbing a nearby banner to stabilize himself, but Raph just walked up and used one finger to push him off, tearing some of the banner off with him.

"Aw crud!" he screamed, falling to the street below.

He landed onto a nearby car with a crash, causing the onlooking turtles to wince.

"Ooh, that one hurt him." Mikey joked.

Leo turned back to Karai, who was walking towards him with a smile on her face.

"Thank you." she told him before turning to the others. "All of you. I couldn't have done this without you."

"Of course." Leo replied. "I trust you will keep your word?"

"Of course." Karai promised. "The vendetta against you and your family is lifted. Our feud is over."

"Just like that?" Raph questioned.

"Just like that." Karai replied before bowing. "It was an honor fighting alongside you."

"Here's hoping we do it again soon." Leo responded, bowing back.

"Here's hoping." Karai repeated, walking towards the window and leaping out.

The others looked out, but found no sign of her.

"Now that's what I call a ninja vanish." Mikey commented.

"Master Splinter," Leo said as his sensei walked up. "I'm sorry, I… I just felt like I had to do something."

"There is a time where a student listens to his master." Splinter said sternly, before softening and placing a hand on Leo's shoulder. "However, there is also a time where a student follows his heart, even when others tell him otherwise."

Leo was surprised by Splinter's reply, but smiled regardless.

"So, what about Karai?" Donnie asked.

"I still don't trust her." Raph admitted.

"Seriously?" Leo let out. "After all this?"

"Look, she may be Hamato Yoshi's daughter, but she was raised by Shredder." Raph reminded him. "She just as much his kid as he is Yoshi's."

"She does still seem hesitant to believe the true origins of her parrentage." Donnie admitted.

"Perhaps one day she will accept the truth." Splinter hoped. "But that is her decision. For now, let us go home.

"Finally!" Mikey let out.

"I gotta admit, home sounds real good right about now." Leo concurred.

…

Down below, on the roof of a crushed car, Hun lets out a groan of pain as he places the hand with the torn cloth over his face. All of a sudden, his body convulsed, twitching and twisting in ways that shouldn't have been possible. His face also burned, as though the cloth was fusing with his skin. He tried to tear it off, but to no avail. He tore at it as his fingers became swollen, fusing into two massive digits.

"What… What's happening?!"

…

After calling the police to collect a tied up and bruised Danny and Cody, April and Casey watched their arrest from the nearby rooftop.

"By morning, the cops will call Irma about all her stuff." April deduced. "She'll get her equipment back, and I'll have all the money I saved."

"A happy ending all around." Casey noted.

"Yeah." April replied. "Thanks again Casey. For… everything."

"Hey, don't mention it." Casey dismissed. "I know how much having that place means for you. Something to remind you of your dad. Kinda makes me wish I had somethin like that…"

"Well," April spoke up. "I think your father would be proud of you."

With that, April pulled Casey into a hug. While taken aback by it, Casey wasted no time returning the notion.

...

Karai watches as the last of the Foot ninja boarded a barge set for Japan. As it sailed away from the harbor, she sighed.

"Stopping an entire intercity gang war." a voice marveled.

Karai whipped around to see Nakumo emerging from the shadows.

"I must say, I'm impressed." He commended.  
"Nakumo!" Karai scowled. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Dealing with pressing matters." Nakumo replied.

"Pressing matters?!" Karai repeated. "Your 'pressing matters' nearly destroyed the entire city!"

"Something I was trusting you to handle." Nakumo responded nonchalauntly. "Looks like you were able to after all."

"So you knew this would happen?" she questioned harshly. "You knew I'd end this war? Why not step in sooner BEFORE the Foot splintered?!"

Nakumo remained silent for a moment.

"Come with me." He told her, before leaping off the roof.

Hesitant at first, she eventually followed after him, watching as he led her deeper into the shipyard. After a bit of traversing, Karai found Nakumo walking towards a massive red and black ship. He went inside, and she followed, surprised to see that it was a fully stocked bunker, as well as a science lab and training ground.

"Is this what you've been working on all this time?" she wondered.

"Partially." Nakumo answered. "But there is one project that has required my more immediate attention."

The two then walked into a room reminiscent of Shredder's throne room in their old headquarters. At the end of the room, Nakumo walked towards a table and pressed a button, opening up the rear wall. What Karai saw in there shook her to her very core.

"F-father?" she gasped.

Inside was a massive medical lab, with Oroku Saki's body, broken, scarred, and missing his hair, suspended in a tube of strange liquid. He had a breathing apparatus over his face, as well as various sensors across his deformed body. Karai stumbled towards him, pressing her hands against the glass as she stared at him.

"How is this possible?" she questioned. "I saw his body. Leonardo cut off his head. How is he alive?!"

"You know how Dr. Stockman dabbled a bit in genetic cloning while he was still employed with us?" Nakumo responded.

"Yeah, I…" Karai replied before realizing what he meant. "Wait. you mean that the Shredder that Leo killed-?"

"Was nothing more than a clone." Nakumo finished. "A duplicate created in the unlikely event that something should happen to the master."

"Him." Karai pieced together, turning back to Saki.

"We salvaged his body from the remains of the Technodrome, and have been keeping constant vigil over him ever since." Nakumo explained.

"The Technodrome?" Karai realized. "He's been here all this time and you didn't tell me?!"

"Would you have acted the same, knowing the man you were fighting alongside wasn't real?" Nakumo countered.

Karai paused, the final piece falling into place.

"You knew I would react the way I did." she let out. "You knew I'd go on a revenge spree, drawing the turtles' attention towards me… and away from you and Father."

"I know it wasn't ideal," Nakumo told her. "But it was the only way to ensure his recovery could go unimpeded."

"So… how is he?" she finally asked, turning back toward Shredder's tube.

"Not much change I'm afraid." Nakumo lamented. "We're doing everything he can, but the damage he received was extensive."

Karai visibly drooped at that. Her hand curled into a fist, still against the glass as she looked down.

"I can't ask you to do any more than you already have." she sighed. "Just… do what you can. I want my father back..."

"You have my word." Nakumo promised. "I know you wish to stay with him, but…"

"Yes, the clan needs me." Karai agreed. "Call me if there's any change in his condition."

"Of course… mistress." Nakumo replied, bowing.

Karai then walked out of the room, leaving Nakumo alone with Saki.

"Ka..rai…"

Nakumo perked up as he turned towards Saki.

"Master?" Nakumo questioned.

"Ka...rai…"

"She was here." Nakumo explained. "She is relieved you are alive, and has taken her place as your heir."

Nakumo paused for a moment.

"We… may have a way to help you." He told him as a Kraang droid walked in. "The Kraang have creatures. Worms brought from Dimension X that are said to heal the flesh."

"The creatures the one called Nakumo has spoken of are adapted for Kraang that have been adapted for them." The Kraang droid explained. "Humans such as the one called Shredder have not and will be in pain that is known as excessive pain."

"It's a risk to be sure, but-"

"Do it." Saki insisted. "I want… my strength back…. I want… revenge…"

Nakumo turned to the Kraang and nodded, signaling him to walk up to the tank.

"Kraang warns the one called Shredder. The one called Shredder will be in a state that is known as extreme discomfort."

The Kraang then injected the worms into the tank. They swam around a bit before darting towards Saki and eating at his flesh, causing Saki to cry out in pain. Nakumo flinched as his master's cries filled his ears, driving him from the room. As the doors closed behind him, he let out a breath, hoping that Kraang could deliver on their promise and return the Shredder to his former glory.


	55. Slash and Destroy

_My name is Hun. For years, I have served the Shredder in his crusade against those who have wronged him. Throughout this endless feud, I have suffered great humiliation at the hands of his enemies, the mutant freaks that dare to call themselves ninjas. Because of them, I have lost my Master, my status within the Foot Clan, and worst of all, my humanity. Now reduced to little more than a monster, I intend to make the turtles pay for every defeat I suffered at their hands… with their lives._

…

"Aw yeah! I'mma flip it!" Mikey let out, rocking away on one of the arcade games in the lair. "High score, here I come."

"Watch the left!" Leo warned. "He always attacks from the left!"

"I got this bro." Mikey told him. "Nothins gonna- oh no! It's Skullarax!"

"Not good, not good!" Leo yelped. "Dodge and weave, dodge and weave!"

"I'm scared, bro." Mikey dreaded. "No! No! No! No!"

Unfortunately for Mikey, he didn't dodge fast enough and his avatar died on screen. The game faded away and the large "GAME OVER" began flashing.

"Aww!" Mikey moaned, plopping his face onto the console. "I was so close, Leo. So close…"

"You did well, my son." Leo told him before bumping him aside. "Now watch a real sensei at work."

He started a new game and began his own attempt to conquer the high score. Mikey just sat up and shrugged in dismissal before getting up and plopping on the couch.

"MIKEY!" Raph's voice cried out as he stormed out of his room.

Mikey yelped and lowered himself deeper into the couch, trying to disappear. He failed miserably as Raph marched in front of him, holding up one of his magazines.

"You got pizza stains over my entire collection of Modern Ninja Magazine!" Raph chastised. "They're ruined!"

"Sorry dude, I was just borrowing them." Mikey explained. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"These things are vintage!" Raph told him. "It took me six years to collect them! Six years!"

"I said I was sorry." Mikey insisted, snatching the magazine. "Here, I'll even clean it up for you."

He then started licking the stains off, prompting Raph to snarl before snatching them back and smacking him on the head with them.

"How is it you manage to screw up everything you mess with?" Raph asked.

"That's not true!" Mikey retorted, flipping up off the couch. "I was just trying to clean my mess."

"Then why don't you just get some wipes like any sane person would?" Raph suggested.

"Just relax Raph." Leo concoled. "It's just stuff."

"Thank you." Mikey replied, walking towards the kitchen. "At least one person here is-"

As Mikey walked though, his foot caught on the plug of the video game console. He tripped, unplugging the cord and shutting off the game.

"No!" Leo let out. "My scores!"

Mikey untangled himself from the cord, holding it up sheepishly.

"Sorry Leo..." he let out.

"You were supposed to lay duct tape over the cord weeks ago!" Leo snapped.

"I was?" Mikey questioned. "Oops..."

"See?!" Raph let out. "This is what I'm talking about! You're always messing up, and we gotta pay for it!"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Mikey insisted. "Look, I'll go get the duct tape from Donnie's lab and take care of the cord now."

He then scurried off to Donnie's lab, where Donnie had just successfully broken off a piece of the Kraang crystal and dropped into a chemical solution.

"Can it get any louder out there?" Donnie asked.

"Sorry D." Mikey replied. "You got any duct tape around here?"

"Top drawer on the left." Donnie answered. "But be careful, it's been sticking so it may take a few tugs to get it open."

"Got it." Mikey responded. "So… how's the retro mutagen thing coming?"

"Slow." Donnie said bluntly, grabbing another beaker. "And at this rate, practically non existent. Who can concentrate with Raph exploding at you all the time."

"I know I can't." Mikey replied, trying to open the drawer.

Unfortunately, the drawer only opened about half an inch before getting stuck. Mikey began tugging on the thing repeatedly. One tug manage to open the drawer, but a bit too suddenly, causing Mikey to stumble back into Donnie, who accidentally dropped the beaker. He managed to grab it, but not before all the contents were dumped into the solution. This caused to bubble over, much to Donnie's horror.

"Hit the deck!" he shouted.

The solution the shot out sparks that flew out of the lab, much to Raph and Leo's surprise.

"What the shell?!" Leo cried out.

"Yikes!" Raph let out, dodging a spark.

The two retreated into their shells, waiting for the fireworks to die down. After a few minutes, te commotion ended, allowing the turtles to slowly come out of their shells. Mikey looked around, sheepishly picking up the duct tape out of the now fallen drawer.

"Found the tape..." he chuckled nervously.

"Everyone ok?" Donnie asked.

"What happened?" Splinter asked, running into the room.

"I'll tell ya what happened!" Raph snapped, grabbing Mikey by the back of his shell. "Captain screw up completely destroyed the lair!"

"Raph, I'm sorry." Mikey insisted. "It was an accident. I-"

"Oh, it was an accident! That clears everything up!" Raph replied sarcastically. "If you ask me Mikey, the real accident around here is you!"

Mikey's jaw dropped at that, Leo and Donnie both shocked as well by Raph's harsh words.

"Raph, that was too far." Leo insisted.

"Are you kidding me, Leo?" Raph snapped. "He breaks everything he touches, he has no sense of personal space, and half of our problems would never exist if he didn't-!"

"Raphael!" Splinter spoke up, cutting off the red turtle's rant.. "If I may make a suggestion?"

"Suggest what, Sensei?" Raph asked. "That I be open to Mikey's faults? That I be nicer? What could you possibly sugge-"

Splinter then jabbed at a pressure point under Raph's arm, the very arm he was using to hold up Mikey. The red turtle twitched and spasmed before collapsing on the ground.

"Perhaps you should sit and meditate for a while." Splinter suggested.

He then turned to Mikey, who was just sitting where Raph had dropped him, looking absolutely miserable. His gaze softened as he reached for the orange turtle.

"Michelangelo-" he began.

Mikey just got to his feet, tears in his eyes.

"No Sensei, I get it." he interrupted, wiping his face. "I'll be in my room, where I can't screw anything else up."

He then turned towards his room, closing the door behind him and locking it behind him. The others just looked on in disheartenment as Splinter let out a sigh.

"I have warned all of you of the power of words." He chastised. "They cut deeper than any weapon in a ninja's arsenal, especially when aimed at those close to you."

"Hai Sensei." Leo and Donnie replied as Raph got to his feet.

Raph rotated his shoulder, which was incredibly stiff in the wake of Splinter's attack. He rubbed it absently before glancing at Mikey's door. He then turned away, plopping down on the couch.

"What do we do, Leo?" Donnie asked.

"Right now, we clean up the lair," Leo told him. "And… give Mikey his space. He just needs time."

Donnie nodded, then he and Leo scattered to begin cleaning, leaving Raph alone with Master Splinter.

"Sensei, I-" Raph started to speak.

"How many times must we return to this problem?" Splinter cut off. "You always seem to come so far only to let your anger take control again, and now it might have cost you the trust of your brother."

"I'm trying, Sensei." Raph insisted. "Really, I am. It's just that Mikey never learns. He's always messing up, always making mistakes, and he never, ever listens!"

"That is hardly an excuse to berate him so harshly!" Splinter replied. "You are family, and family supports each other, not tears each other apart."

"I know that… I just wish he wouldn't be so… so..."

"Why wish for your brother to be less than what he is?" Splinter proposed. "True Michelangelo has his struggles, but what is more important? A few magazines and video game scores, or your bond as brothers?"

With that, Splinter walked off, leaving Raph to ponder his master's words.

…

Across town at a Kraang lab, the alien occupants inside were all going about their business when their proximity alarm started going off. As they all grabbed their weapons, the door to the lab was torn off and thrown at a control console, causing the lights to go on and off. In the flashes of light, something big and fast moved in the shadows, slashing the Kraang droids to pieces. Several of them tried firing their blasters at the creature in the dark, but they either missed or the shots that connected did nothing to harm it. As the Kraang fell one by one, the last one made its way for the door in an attempt to escape. The creature just grabbed it by the torso and pulled it back. He then squeezed the body so tight, that he crushed the Kraang. Purple liquid dripped from the creatures hand as he discarded the Kraang and moved into the lab. He then tore open a cabinet and saw a canister of mutagen sitting on a shelf. As he grabbed it, he saw his reflection in the canister, and let out a mighty roar.

…

Back in the lair, the turtles managed to finish cleaning up the lair, with Raph occasionally looking towards Mikey's room.

"That should do it for the clean up." Leo reported. "So, how bad's your lab, Don?"

"Pretty bad I'm afraid." Donnie lamented. "The blast took out the last of my mutagen supply. We're gonna have to go hunting for a new canister."

"Then we better get topside and get hunting." Leo decided.

"What about Mikey?" Raph asked.

"You honestly think he's in any position to help?" Leo asked.

Raph let out a sigh in response.

"I guess not." Raph lamented.

"Right," Leo replied. "Now let's move."

With that, the three made their way for the exit. Unbeknownst to them, the door to Mikey's room was cracked open just slightly, allowing the orange turtle to peek out.

…

In the city, the three hopped from rooftop to rooftop, with Raph trailing behind, still feeling the guilt of his behavior towards Mikey. Leo noticed his lagging, letting out a sigh as he came to a stop.

"Raph, focus." He insisted. "We need our heads in the game for this."

Raph shook his head in response.

"Sorry, Leo." Raph replied. "I just-"

"Feel like the lowest lifeform on earth for lashing out at Mikey like you did?" Donnie guessed.

Raph gave him a glare, but reluctantly nodded.

"Just face it Raph, you went to far this time." Leo told him. "You made Mikey feel unwanted, and that was wrong on every level imaginable. Mikey occasionally messes up, but he's still our brother."

"I know, I know." Raph responded. "I'll apologize profusely when we get back."

"You better hope that's enough." Donnie told him.

"Let's focus on the mission for now." Leo decided. "How much farther to the ooze, Don?"

Donnie took out his scanner and took a look.

"Just ahead." He directed.

The three made their way across the rooftops towards their prize. Once they landed on a rooftop overlooking the street, they spotted a lone canister.

"There it is!" Leo called out. "Let's grab it!"

"Hold it!" Raph told him. "Someone's coming."

The three looked down again to see a little girl walking down the street with her dad, the two coming across the canister.

"Ooh, daddy." the girl let out. "Look at the pretty lamp! Can I have it! Can I?"

The father picked it up, looking it over.

"I wonder who would throw this away." he wondered. "It doesn't look broken."

"You gotta be kidding me." Raph groaned.

"Isn't it past her bedtime?" Leo questioned.

"Please daddy?" the little girl begged, giving her dad the biggest pair of puppy-dog eyes.

"I suppose so." the man relented, handing it to her.

She squeed in delight, taking the canister and hugging it tightly.

"Thanks Daddy!" she said happily. "You're the best!"

"Yeah, thanks daddy." Raph replied sarcastically.

"We gotta get that canister." Leo declared.

"Which would require one of us sneaking into a little girl's bedroom in the dead of night to wretch her new favorite thing in the whole world from her innocent naive hands." Donnie proposed.

The three stared at each other for a few moments, knowing exactly how do decide this.

"Not it!" Donnie let out.

"Not it!" Raph followed.

"Not-" Leo tried to join in. "Dammit!"

"You snooze, you lose bro." Raph teased.

"Just get in, get out." Donnie told him. "Shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Leo glowered at them both, then took off after the girl and her dad. The two just leaned on the edge of the roof as Leo traveled towards the apartment across the street.

...

As Leo climbed up to the window where the girl's room was, he saw her setting up what looked like a tea party. She arranged various stuffed animals around the little table, placing plastic tea cups in front of each one. What worried the poor turtle was what she intended to use for the tea: mutagen.

"Here you go, Ruffles McBearington, one nice cup of green tea." she offered as she poured the 'tea'.

Leo gasped as she gave each stuffed animal a cup, eventually pouring one for herself. She lifted the cup to her lips, and…

"No time for stealth!" Leo let out as he stormed into the room and quickly kicked the cup away from the girl.

The tea cup bounced against the wall, the contents splattering harmlessly onto the carpet as the girl just sat there. She looked at Leo curiously, then grew angry.

"Bad Mr. Turtle!" she admonished, shaking her finger at him. "Didn't your daddy ever teach you table manners?"

"Uh… sorry?" Leo responded, admittedly confused.

"Clean up the spilled tea, and I'll forgive you." she told him. "Then, maybe I'll let you join us if you promise to behave."

"Uh, I'd love to, uh…"

"Chloe." she told him.

"Chloe," Leo repeated. "But I kinda need to grab your tea and go."

Chloe grabbed the canister, holding it to her chest.

"Try and take it and I'll scream." she threatened. "My daddy's in the next room."

To prove she meant her threat, she took a deep breath and held it. Leo went pale, then relented.

"I'll uh… need some gloves and a towel." he informed her.

She released her breath and smiled.

"Okay!"

She then hopped up, taking the canister with her as she went to fetch what he needed. He watched her go, then groaned into his hand.

"The guys are never gonna let me live this down." he muttered.

…

From across the street, Raph and Donnie were on the ground laughing their shells off. The two had tears in their eyes as they tried to curb the hysterics.

"Fearless leader's getting chewed out by a five year old!" Raph cackled, holding his stomach.

"What do you wanna bet she's gonna have him dress up next?" Donnie proposed.

"I would pay good money to see Leo in a dress." Raph declared. "What do you think, Mik-?"

He cut off, the mood dying as he remembered that Mikey wasn't there.

"Oh… right." Raph realized.

Donnie sighed, looking at his brother.

"Look, I'll keep an eye on Leo." He told him. "You go do what needs to be done. I'm sure Leo will understand."

"Eh… maybe you're right." Raph relented starting towards the edge of the roof.

"Leaving so soon?" a new voice questioned. "I won't hear of it."

The two turtles instinctively turned around and saw something skulking in the shadows. It slowly stepped out, revealing a massive turtle mutant. Unlike the brothers, this one had spikes coming out of his shell, arms, and even its face. It had sharp fangs for teeth, and black cloth fused to its face around the eyes. However, it had a long blonde ponytail and a purple dragon tattoo on its right arm that made it all too clear who this new mutant was.

"Hun?" Donnie let out.

"No way." Raph added in disbelief.

"Why not take a closer look at your handiwork!" Hun told them before smacking them both aside.

The impact sent them streaking across the roof, hitting a wall hard before sagging to the ground. They barely had time to recover as Hun charged forward. Raph and Donnie quickly leapt over the wall and landed on the other side as Hun barreled through the wall, shattering it to pieces.

"So what's with the new look, gruesome?" Raph asked, landing on the ground.

"When you knocked me off the building last time," Hun explained as he continued to smash at them. "I was carrying mutagen. It shattered, turning me into the last thing I touched. Mutant turtle filth!"

"Well, you shouldn't have been carrying that stuff." Raph quipped, fighting to block out the pain. "Don't you know it's bad for you?"

Enraged, he unsheathed his claws and slashed at Raph, knocking him back.

"Raph!" Donnie let out.

Instinctively, Donnie ran towards Hun and tried to hit him with his staff, but Hun just grabbed it and punched Donnie to the ground.

"You should worry more about your own shell, turtle." Hun warned.

"Well, ain't this peachy." Raph grumbled.

…

After a while, Mikey did make his way out of his room, only to plop on the couch watching an episode of Crognard. In this one, the group was celebrating the 'Feast of Friendship', an annual holiday in Crognard's kingdom.

" _Friends, I would like to propose a toast!"_ Crognard spoke up. " _To our bond of friendship! May it carry us forward for countless eons and be a source of great merriment and trust between us!"_

" _To Friendship!"_ Enchantress toasted.

" _Smooch, Smooch!_ " Smooch agreed.

"Yeah, you say that now, Smooch." Mikey commented. "Then they call you a mistake and blame you for all the bad stuff that happens, and all that talk of 'friendship' and 'brotherhood' goes out the window."

Mikey then chucks a piece of pizza at the TV as Splinter entered the room.

"Michelangelo, where are your brothers?" Splinter asked.

"Eh, I don't know." Mikey dismissed. "Some dumb mutagen mission, I guess."

"Michelangelo, I know you are hurting from Raphael's comments, but you must not let them control you." Splinter told him.

"Why not?" Mikey asked. "Let's face it, I am a goof up. I'm not a leader like Leo, I'm not a genius like Donnie, and I'm not a warrior like Raph. What does that make me? A big screw who tells dumb jokes and ruins everything he touches."

"You are so much more than that my son." Splinter told him. "You may not be the most… level headed ninja, but you possess the biggest heart and deepest compassion out of anyone I have ever met."

Mikey looked up at Splinter, still clearly upset.

"But heart and compassion won't make me any less of a mistake." he muttered.

"You are not a mistake Michelangelo." Splinter told him. "You are my son as much as any of them, and a valuable member of this team. You have been there for your brothers and friends time and again, pulling them from the brink of despair. If anything, you are the glue that keeps them together, and from taking themselves too seriously. You make mistakes, everyone does, but you should not let your mistakes define who you are."

Mikey slowly perked up as Splinter spoke, realizing the truth in his words. By the time he was done, his trademark smile had finally returned to him.

"Thanks Sensei." Mikey said.

"Anytime my son." Splinter replied. "Now, go find your brothers. I am willing to bet they need you."

Mikey nodded, turning off the TV and vaulting over the couch towards the door. Splinter watched him go, smiling in relief.

...

Leo had managed to clean up the mutagen spilled on the carpet, ringing the contents of the towel back into the canister. He'd also collected the remaining mutagen as well, convincing Chloe that pretend tea would be better. Unfortunately, she wasn't willing to let him leave just yet, and that's how he found himself sitting at the table, a plastic tea cup in his hand as Chloe poured him some 'tea'. After she was done, he took the cup and was about to pretend to take a sip.

"No, no, no, no." She stopped. "You have to hold your pinky out."

She wiggled her own for emphasis, then looked at him expectantly. Leo looked down at his hand in confusion and slight embarrassment.

"Umm, I don't really have a pinky." he told her, though he did hold his only other finger out.

Chloe looked at Leo with a small laugh as they both sipped their 'tea'.

"Are there other talking turtles like you?" she asked.

"Nope, nuh uh." He quickly dismissed. "Just me. Mr. Imaginary turtle."

All of a sudden, Hun and Raph came crashing through the ceiling of Chloe's room, wrestling with one another.

"Guys?!" Leo let out.

"Sorry! To interrupt! Tea time!" Raph mustered out. "But we! Could use! A hand!"

Hun then barreled through the wall out into the city. Still a little startled, Leo quickly grabbed the canister and followed after.

"Next time, I'll bring the tea!" Leo promised before leaping out of the room.

"Bye Mr. Turtle!" Chloe called back.

…

Back with Raph and Hun, the monstrous mutant threw Raph across the roof before leaping up into the air trying to smash him, but Raph quickly moved out of the way. Hun created a massive crater as he landed before trying to sweep Raph's legs. The red turtle quickly leapt up over the strike and tried bringing his sai down on him. Hun just grabbed his arms with one hand and punched him with the other, sending him tumbling on the ground.

"Ya ready… to give up yet?" Raph asked, slowly getting up.

"Not yet." Hun stated, showing off his claws.

He prepared to bring them down on Raph, but Leo's sword quickly intercepted them.

"This a private fight, or can anyone join?" He quipped.

"The more the merrier!" Hun told him, using his other hand to upper cut him.

As Leo went flying through the air, he quickly flipped around so he landed on his feet.

"He doesn't quit, does he?" Leo guessed.

"No." Raph replied. "Then again, Hun always was stubborn."

Leo blinked.

"Hun?!" he exclaimed.

"Fill you in later." Raph replied, dodging one of Hun's punches. "Right now, just know he's out for blood. Namely, ours. He's already totalled Donnie."

"Then get him to safety." Leo told him. "I'll hold him off."

"You serious?" Raph asked. "You won't last ten minutes against him, and that was before the mutagen shower."

"I didn't say don't come back." Leo said, blocking a claw strike with his sword. "Now go!"

Reluctantly, Raph complied and leapt on top of Hun's head before bouncing off and landing on the ground. He ran off to get Donnie as Leo stood his ground against Hun.

"So, what happened to you?" He asked. "Couldn't beat us as a human so you became our knock-off?"

"You turned me into this!" Hun roared, trying to slam his fist down and causing Leo to roll out of the way. "And now you're gonna pay for it!"

"Hope you don't mind steel for a down payment!" Leo declared as hen leapt towards him.

…

A good distance away, Raph was leading Donnie to safety. He set him down on an old lawn chair someone had on the roof, doing his best to be gentle.

"This'll do for now." Raph told him.

"Look, don't worry about me." Donnie insisted. "Leo's in trouble, you should be helping him, not me."

"I'm not gonna leave you like this." Raph insisted. "Now we just need to tie off that arm."

Raph looked around and saw a clothes line with some bed sheets hanging off of them. He smiles as he grabs one and brings it back to Donnie.

"This'll do for now." Raph told him, pulling out a sai. "Here, bite on this."

Donnie bit down on the sai handle, much to his disgust.

"Eck." He let out, muffled. "Tastes like leather and sweat."

Raph ignored him, tearing off a section of the bed sheet for a bandage. He tied it off, then arranged the rest of the sheet into a sling. As he did, he sensed movement behind him. He slowly turned around, seeing no one, but knowing someone was there. He moved behind a nearby wall, waiting for whoever was out there to come in close. He saw the shadow approaching, then whirled around with his sai.

"Yipe!" Mikey let out, dunking his head into his shell to avoid the attack. "Friendly!"

Raph shook his head, realizing who it was.

"Mikey?" He let out.

Mikey popped his head out of his shell, sighing in relief.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love being a turtle?" Mikey asked.

"What are you doing out here?" Raph questioned.

"Looking for you guys." Mikey answered. "Look Raph, I have something I need to say to you."

"Mikey listen, now isn't the best-" Raph tried to explain.

"No Raph." Mikey cut off. "I know I make a mess, and screw up, and break your stuff, and I know you think I'm a mistake, but-"

Just then, Leo was thrown past them, landing right on top of Donnie and causing the two to tumble to the ground. Hun then landed on the roof, much to both standing turtles' dismay.

"You know what, it can wait." Mikey squeaked out.

"So, the buffoon showed up to the party." Hun noted. "Good. finally, you're all mine!"

"Holy Chalupa!" Mikey exclaimed. "Another turtle?"

"It's Hun." Raph answered. "He got knocked into some mutagen."

"Get out!" Mikey marveled. "Though personally, it's kind of an improvement."

Hun growled as he charged at the two. He tried slashing at them, but they scattered.

"I hated you enough before!" He spoke as they continued dodging his claw strikes. "But now every time I look in the mirror, all I see is you! And I hate you even more!"

"No way dude, you look nothing like us." Mikey insisted. "You look like a porcupine and godzilla threw up and added a shell. Calling yourself a turtle is like calling dog food a gourmet meal."

Hun roared as he charged at him. Mikey just leapt up and tried to leapfrog over him, but Hun quickly spun around and grabbed him by the ankle before throwing him to the ground. As Mikey bounced on the ground, Hun continued punching him, each impact seething with rage. Before he could land another blow, Raph ran up behind him and slashed at the back of his neck before flipping around and landing in front of him.

"Get away from my brother, you freak of nature!" Raph cried out.

Raph and Hun ran towards each other, with Raph clashing his sai against Hun's claws. As the two locked weapons, Raph spun out of the hold and cut Hun on the legs, causing him to cry out. He tried bringing his fists down on him, but Raph just back flipped out of the way, clocking him on the chin. Hun stumbled back a bit before roaring and running towards him again.

Mikey meanwhile slowly picked himself up and saw the one sided fight going on.

"Aw man, Raph's getting creamed out there." Mikey realized standing up. "How are we gonna stop a giant mostrous turtle seething with rage… that isn't Raph?"

Suddenly, an idea popped into the orange turtles head as he was reminded of something that happened earlier that day.

"Wait a minute…" Mikey realized. "I know how to beat him!"

Mikey then ran towards Hun, sliding on the ground and nailing him in the back of the knees. He was forced to kneel over as Mikey got up and swung his nunchaku right in his face.

"That the best you got?" Mikey taunted. "I expected more, Slash."

"Slash?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, cause he's trying to slash us to pieces." Mikey explained before shooting Hun a cocky grin "And failing miserably, I must add.

Hun growled as he took another swipe at Mikey, who quickly back flipped out of the way and landed on the edge of the room. He then just began dodging and weaving, avoid each and every one of Hun's blows.

"Look at me!" He exclaimed, shaking his butt at Hun. "I'm Hun! I hate everything because I'm a miserable failure at everything I've ever tried to do!"

With that, Hun charged at him again. Mikey quickly leapt off the roof and made his escape, with Hun in close pursuit.

"Run, run, run as fast as you can!" Mikey taunted. "But you'll never catch me you ugly excuse for a turtle!"

As the two ran off Raph went over to his fallen brothers.

"You guys ok?" He asked.

"I've been hurt worse." Leo conceded. "Was that Mikey?"

"Yeah." Raph confirmed. "He's leading Slash- I mean, Hun away from here."

"Go help him." Leo told him. "I have a feeling he's gonna need you out there."

Raph nods as he gives chase.

…

As the chase continued, Mikey managed to elude Hun as he landed on a rooftop. Hun looked around for any sign of the orange turtle.

"Come out and fight, you coward!" Hun cried out. "I know you're here. I can smell you."

"Can you smell a rock?" Mikey called out, tossing a rock in Hun's face.

Hun rubbed his face, trying to find the source of the throw. Thinking he found it, behind and AC unit, he charged forward and smashed the until, causing Mikey to spring up and land behind him.

"Man, you move like bloated buffalo!" Mikey commented. "How can you slash what you can't even reach, Slash?"

"Stop calling me that!" Hun cried out. "You're gonna pay for what you've done to me!"

"Yeesh, when you're not yelling, you're whining." Mikey continued. "'Poor me. No one understands me'."

"Shut up!" Hun demanded, trying to hit him again, but missing.

"Now let's see, you're slow, whiny, what else?" Mikey pondered. "Oh yeah, stupid."

Hun tried slashing at him, but Mikey quickly ducked under it as he pulled out a nunchaku.

"And ugly!" Mikey added as he hit him across the face.

He then leapt over Hun striking him again on the head.

"And gassy!"

"Will you shut it?!" Hun cried out.

"Aw, you talk a big game," Mikey teased. "But deep down, you're just a big baby."

Hun grew more and more furious with each comment and evaded strike.

"What's the matter baby Slash?" Mikey taunted, extending his chain. "Gonna cry?"

Mikey then shot the chain out at Hun, but he held out his arm, causing the chain to wrap around it. He then pulled on it, bringing Mikey in close so he could smack him across the roof towards the edge.

"Let's make one thing perfectly clear." Hun spoke "I am going to kill you. I am going to tear you to pieces and take your stupid mask as a trophy. Then I'm going to do the same to your bothers, and eventually your rodent excuse for a master, showing them and you pain you couldn't even imagine. So call me 'Slash', one! More time!"

Mikey slowly picked himself up, still as confident as ever.

"You know what you're problem is?" Mikey asked. "You've got a really bad temper…. Slash."

With that, Hun roared as he ran out to him. Mikey just smirked as he held up a finger. He moved out of the way of one slash and ducked under his arm as he performed another.

"Meditate on this!" Mikey cried out, using his finger to strike a nerve under his arm.

Hun went stiff, jerking slightly before tipping over and falling right over the edge of the roof.

"Have a nice trip! See you next -"

Before he could finish, the chain still attached to Hun's arm wrapped around Mikey's leg, pulling him off the roof. He quickly grabbed the edge, but Hun's weight was quickly becoming too much for him. Just as his grip gave out though, a hand reached out to him and a sai cut the chain, allowing Hun to plummet to the street below. Mikey looked up to see Raph holding out a hand to help him.

"I gotcha little brother." he told him.

Mikey smiled as Raph pulled him up onto the roof.

"Thanks bro." Mikey replied.

"Anytime." Raph responded. "Come on, let's get Leo and Donnie to Splinter."

Mikey nodded as they went off, unaware that the crater that Hun created in the pavement was now empty.

…

Back in the lair, Splinter helped the brothers bandage their various wounds, doling out ice packs as needed.

"It seems Hun has made himself into a more dangerous enemy than ever before." Splinter deduced.

"You're telling us." Donnie commented. "I'd hate to think what would have happened if Mikey hadn't shown up."

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "You really saved the day today Mikey."

"Eh, any of you guys would have done the same." Mikey dismissed.

"Hey Mikey I…" Raph spoke up. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It was way out of line. You're not a mistake. You're as much a part of this team as any of us. I'm sorry I made you feel unwanted."

"Thanks." Mikey replied. "And I'm sorry about messing up your magazines."

"Eh, it's just stuff." Raph disregarded. "Family is what really matters. When push comes to shove, we look after each other."

"Thanks man." Mikey responded.

"Anytime little brother." Raph told him, patting him on the head.

Raph then went off to get some more ice for Donnie and Leo, leaving Mikey and Splinter alone for a moment.

"It seems your position on this team is no longer in doubt." Splinter noted.

"Guess not." Mikey replied. "Thanks for getting me out of my funk, Sensei. I needed the confidence boost."

"While it is always important to believe in one's self," Splinter told him. "Words of encouragement from others can be a great blessing."

With that, Mikey full on hugged Splinter, and act Splinter wasted no time in returning.


	56. Return To The Underground

_Hey everyone, Donatello again. A while back, I made a promise to some friends, and believe it or not, the large blue, acid spewing monster trying to eat my brothers is one of those friends. It's kinda a long story, but in summary, these were ordinary people subjected to horrific experiments at the hands of the Kraang and the Shredder. I promised that one day, I would return to them with a way to change them back._

 _And after months of hard work and setbacks… that day is today._

 _I just hope I can give it to them before they kill us all._

…

Donnie was hunched over his work table, carefully examining one of the Kraang crystal he had in his stash. All around him were various charts and scribbled notes about his findings on the crystals, as well as several stacks of empty coffee mugs.

"Alright you perplexing piece of alien rock, tell me your secrets." Donnie said to himself. "I know somehow, some way, you're connected to the cure I need. I just need to figure out how."

He let out a yawn, covering his mouth as he fumbled for a coffee cup. Before he could take it, Splinter's hand came down and removed it from his reach.

"Donatello, you have been down here for four days." He declared. "When was the last time you had a proper meal? Or a full night of sleep?"

He sniffed slightly, his nose wrinkling.

"Or a shower?" he added.

"I can't rest Sensei, I know there's an answer to the Retro-Mutagen problem in all this." Donnie explained. "I just need to find it."

"A mind overtaxed with work cannot function at its peak." Splinter told him. "Rest, my son. Your work will be here when you return."

"But I have people counting on me, Sensei." Donnie insisted. "Quarry and his friends in the undercity, not to mention April's dad, Mona Lisa, and all the other mutants out there who were turned because of our mistake."

Splinter sighed and placed his hand on Donnie's shoulder. He then deftly pushed a pressure point, one that made Donnie instantly fall asleep. Splinter scooped him up, carrying him to his bed and pulling the blanket over him.

"They can wait until tomorrow." Splinter told him before taking his leave of the genius' room.

…

The next morning, Donnie shuffled out of his room towards the kitchen. He was only mildly surprised to see his collection of used coffee cups in the sink, as well as a distinct lack of the coffee machine.

"Depriving me of my caffeine." He mumbled. "Playing with fire you guys."

Leo just kicked a chair, offering it to Donnie.

"Just wanted to make sure you ate something before you went back to your lab." He replied. "Besides, Mikey's making his pizza omelets."

"And they're just about done." Mikey shared, giving one of the omelets a flip. "I added extra tomatoes to yours, just how you like it."

"Thanks Mikey." Donnie replied, taking a seat.

"Then maybe after breakfast, you'll take a shower before you heed the call of your precious crystals." Raph added, plopping down next to Leo.

"Not likely." Mikey joined in. "Bet he hears the crystals calling to him right now."

"Haha you guys," Donnie replied "Very fu-"

He cut himself off, mulling over Mikey's words.

"Hear the..." he repeated before jumping to his feet, "Michelangelo, you're a genius!"

He ran and hugged his brother before vaulting out of the kitchen. The remaining turtles exchanged looks, then Mikey turned off the stove before they followed after their brother. Inside Donnie's lab, he set up the sub-sonic cannon they used to enter New York during the Kraang invasion and placed one of the crystals in front of it.

"Whatcha up to, Don?" Leo asked.

"You guys remember that everything in Dimension X reacts to soundwaves right?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah, I discovered that little fact." Mikey boasted.

"Right," Donnie replied, deadpanned. "Well, I had a thought. We learned that high frequency sounds cause the crystals to explode. So I began to wonder what would happen if they were exposed to a lower frequency."

He then pressed a few buttons and turned a few knobs on the device before activating it. The sound waves began emanating from the device towards the crystal, with the turtles taking cover behind Donnie's work table just in case. The crystal began to glow and shake, then it began to liquify, becoming a pink sludge-like substance on the table.

"Eureka!" Donnie exclaimed, heading towards the table.

He gathered up the sludge onto a piece of paper, gently pouring it into a test tube. He then picked up the canister of mutagen, opening it and adding the liquid crystal. The sludge mixed with the mutagen, turning it a bright pink color. Donnie then took a dropper and sucked up a small sample of the mixture.

"Now to see if this stuff works." Donnie declared.

He then took out a syringe and drew some of his own blood to drop onto a microscope slide. After placing it on the microscope, he dropped a bit of the sludge onto the blood sample and took a look at the effects.

"Come on," he let out. "Papa needs a new pair of demutated cells…"

The blood begin to churn and warp, then it settled down peacefully. He looked at it under the microscope, then leaped into the air with joy.

"BOOYAKASHA!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Retro-mutagen everybody!"

"You did it?" Leo questioned in shock.

"I finally did it." Donnie told them. "I finally made Retro-Mutagen. This means we can cure everybody! Mr. O'Neil, Lisa, the Fallen in the undercity,-"

"Splinter?" Leo suggested.

Everyone paused at the mention of their father. Donnie glanced down at his Retro-Mutagen.

"It… is a possibility now." he admitted. "Splinter could be human again."

Donnie then shook his head before returning to the moment at hand.

"But there is one place we need to use this first." Donnie decided. "The Undercity. I've exhausted my supply of crystals, anyway."

"Besides, the longer those guys stay down there, the more they risk losing their humanity." Leo added. "Let's gear up and get ready to head out in fifteen minutes."

"Awww, but my omelets." Mikey moaned.

"Let's go Mikey!"

…

Some time later, the turtles finished grabbing their gear and were just about ready to head out. Mikey came up to them with a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey guys, gotta ask something." Mikey asked, pulling out two shirts. "Which top goes better with pink pants, this one or this one?"

The turtles just gave the orange turtle blank stares.

"What?" Mikey replied. "Something wrong with a turtle asking for some fashion advice?"

"No," Donnie replied. "Except the fact we don't wear clothes."

"Yeah, but the Fallen did before they got transformed." Mikey reasoned. "And I doubt their clothes mutated along with them, right?"

"That is a fair assumption, yes." Donnie responded.

"Exactly!" Mikey let out. "So this way, they don't have to reenter society bare butt naked."

"That's very considerate Mikey," Leo commended. "But I don't think they'll care what they're wearing. I think they'll just be happy to be human again.

"Fair enough." Mikey conceded.

"Come on guys," Leo instructed. "We got a lot of traveling to do if we're gonna get to the city."

"Not necessarily Leo." Donnie interjected. "I've been working on something that just might help us out."

…

Donnie led the others into one of the subway tunnels, where he had something major to show them.

"You guys remember that Leatherhead cleared out most of the excess subway cars when we moved in here?" Donnie reminded.

"Yeah? So?" Raph replied.

"So, I asked him to leave one behind just in case I could make use of it." Donnie answered. "And boy, did I."

He then walked up to one of the cars with a sheet over it.

"Gentlemen, I proudly present to you…" he announced before pulling off the sheet. "The Turtle Tunneler!"

The other turtles stared in awe at the machine. The car was retrofitted with massive wheels with what looked like all terrain tires. A large drill had been affixed to the front of it, and the doors opened, as if inviting them in.

"Nic work Donnie." Leo commended.

"Thanks." Donnie replied. "Now with the way this thing works, it requires each of us at a station. I can't drive since my station is in the back, so-"

"I call driver!" Mikey called out.

"No way!" Raph interjected. "I'm driving!"

"Hey, I'm leader!" Leo threw out. "I should drive!"

The three continued to bicker about this until Donnie began swatting them with his staff.

"Hey, hey!" Donnie let out. "I built the thing, so I decide who drives. And I decide… that Leo drives."

Leo grinned.

"Yes!" he said as he punched the air.

"Aww, why does he get to drive?" Mikey asked.

"He's the leader, most responsible, and the least like to run this thing off a cliff or crash it just for fun." Donnie listed off.

"... true." Raph and Mikey replied at the same time.

"Well, if I can't be driver, then dibs on shotgun!" Mikey declared, bolting into the tunneler.

They all head inside, each taking their stations. Leo at the driver's seat, Donnie at the computers, Raph at external defences, and Mikey at subterranean sonar.

"Alright everyone, buckle up." Donnie warned. "We got mutants to cure."

With that, Donnie activated the tunneler, and by extension, it's energy drill, and the team began their journey.

...

The Turtle Tunneler made quicktime burrowing through the miles of rock, including the collapsed subway tunnel.

"Glad we're passing over this part." Mikey commented. "That was not fun."

"Tell me about it." Raph commented.

"Well, things are about to get a lot bumpier." Donnie announced. "So I suggest you hold onto something."

The tunneler then burrowed through the collapsed tunnel, coming out alongside the cliff across from the genetics lab where they met Quarry and his friends.

"There's the lab." Donnie noted. "The Underground City isn't much farther."

"Nearly there already?" Mikey realized. "And I didn't get the chance to watch the inflight movie."

Raph smacked him upside the head.

"Head in the game, goofball." He told his orange-banded brother.

"Sorry." Mikey apologized.

The tunneler pressed forward, driving along at a brisk pace so the turtles could end their friends suffering all the quicker.

…

Finally, the tunneler burst through its final rock wall, coming out just in front of the Underground City. They came to a stop in front of the gates as Donnie put the tunneler in park.

"Grab your packs." Donnie warned. "Quarry and the others may be contained, but they're still dangerous."

"Right." Leo agreed.

After grabbing their backpacks, they all filed out into the city, making their way for the prison where the Fallen had been contained. However, as they approached the building, they all stopped short when they saw the big, gaping hole in the center of the door.

"Uh oh." Mikey let out.

"That can't be good." Raph commented.

They rushed forward, Donnie immediately examining the hole. He gulped upon realizing the cause.

"Acid." he let out. "The same kind Quarry was capable of producing."

"You don't think the crystal necklace ran out of power do you?" Leo asked.

"It's possible." Donnie admitted. "Which means we have less time than I thought."

"What about that crystal moon thingy we used to trick them in their cells last time?" Mikey asked.

"The crystals needed to be installed in their collars to work." Donnie reminded him. "Still, think you can break off enough chunks that we can pacify the Fallen with? It will help the curing process if they're not trying to kill us."

"Can do." Mikey replied. "Where'd we leave it anyway?"

Before he could answer, a fierce growling emanated from the shadows.

"What was that?" Leo asked.

"My guess, one of our friends going off the deep end." Raph shared.

As it to prove him right, a figure slow emerged from the darkness, revealing itself to be Quarry. His eyes were wild, and the crystal in his collar was completely dead. Acid dripped from his mouth as he stalked towards the turtles.

"Quarry…" Donnie let out.

"Quarry it's us!" Mikey called out. "The turtles! We came back with a cure!"

Quarry just replied by shooting acid at them, causing them to duck.

"I don't think he's in a listening mood." Raph told him.

"Hold him down so I can give him the cure!" Donnie told them. "But don't hurt him."

More acid shot across the room as the turtles continued to avoid and evade.

"Yeah, I'm more worried about _him_ hurting _US_!" Mikey yelped.

Leo leapt forward and tried grappling Quarry, but he just picked the blue turtle up and threw him aside. Raph quickly came up and kicked him the back of the leg, causing Quarry to keel over. He let out a hiss as he fell, kicking Raph away before getting to his feet. Mikey extended his chain and wrapped it around Quarry, but he just spit acid on the chain, melting it and causing Mikey to fall back.

"Well this is going well!" Raph commented.

"Rush him on three!" Leo called out. "One! Two! Three!"

All three turtles rushed forward and tackled Quarry to the ground. Even with all three turtles on top of him, the mutant's strength was still great.

"Donnie! Hurry!" Leo told him.

Donnie then took out the Retro-Mutagen and rushed towards Quarry, injecting him in the neck. Quarry then forced the turtles off, knocking them all back before lurking towards them again. Just then, Quarry began to convulse and cry out in pain. He then dropped to the ground, creating a small cloud of dust around him as the Retro-Mutagen began to take its effect. As the dust cleared, the turtle were shocked by the results.

"Quarry…" Donnie let out. "You're…

"A girl!" Mikey exclaimed.

The turtles immediately averted their eyes to the now human and nude Quarry. She slowly sat up blinking and groaning slightly.

"I… I'm human again." she let out.

Still keeping his eyes averted, Mikey reached into his pack and grabbed one of the bags of clothes he'd made, holding it out for Quarry. She took it gratefully, getting dressed as quickly as she could.

"It's safe now." she told them.

The turtles turned around and saw her fully dressed in an I heart NY tee-shirt and a pair of sweatpants,

"I can't believe you did it." She told them. "You found a cure! I can't thank you enough."

"More than happy to help Quarry." Donnie told her. "Though, I guess we can't call you that anymore."

"My name's Sydney." she explained. "With the cure, I finally remember my old life."

"Incredible." Donnie marveled. "So, what happened down here? How'd everyone escape?"

"It… it was my fault." Sydney admitted. "The crystal lost power, and I lost myself. I started scratching at the walls, trying to escape. Eventually, I burned my way out, as well as everyone else's. Now, they're all loose in the city, wild and out of control."

"Well that's gonna be fun." Raph commented.

"But you have a cure now." Sydney reminded.

"Yeah, but the crystals were the key ingredient for it." Donnie told her. "I'm gonna need more to cure everyone."

"What about the crystal moon?" Leo inquired. "What happened to that?"

"It should still be inside, unless one of the other Fallen took it." Sydney replied. "Even in our mad state, we're still drawn to its power."

"Could it keep them pacified long enough for me to administer the Retro Mutagen?" Donnie asked.

"It wouldn't pacify them, but it could lure them in long enough." Sydney answered.

"Good enough for me." Donnie decided. "Let's move."

…

The group began searching throughout the city, looking for any sign of the moon's whereabouts. Their search came up fruitless as there wasn't a trace of the crystal moon, or even any of the Fallen.

"I don't get it, everyone's gone." Donnie remarked.

"No sign of the crystal moon, either." Leo added. "It's like it's not in the city anymore."

"I got a bad feelin about this." Raph commented.

"So, where'd everybody go?" Mikey asked.

Donnie then smelt something in the air.

"You guys smell that?" He asked.

"Don't look at me." Mikey protested.

"Not that." Leo chastised. "It's brimstone."

"Lava." Donnie deduced, running off.

Everyone quickly followed after him, eventually reaching a river of lava passing through the tunnels.

"Whoa, I knew this place was deep underground, but deep enough to hit the geothermal vents?" Donnie remarked. "That's impressive."

"The magma river." Sydney gasped. "Of course! I remember now!"

The turtles immediately turned to her.

"It wasn't long after all of the Fallen escaped." she explained. "We were fighting over the moon, struggling for complete ownership of it. Our war took us out of the city, and we ended up accidentally tossing the moon down into the lava."

"So our only hope of curing our friends is melted away?" Raph asked.

"Not necessarily." Donnie replied. "The crystals maybe volatile, but they're also resistant to just about any form of damage you can think of. Believe me, I've tried.

"So, they should survive a lava bath?" Leo guessed.

"Definitely." Donnie confirmed. "Meaning we can still get it out and cure the others."

"Reality check Donnie." Raph interjected. "It's down there at the bottom of a boiling lake of lava. And I doubt your new toy could survive the trip."

Donnie just stood there smirking.

"Wait, it can?" Raph realized.

"It is equipped with low level lava shields due to the small piece of crystal I have powering the whole thing." Donnie answered, with Raph and the others still surprised. "What? You honestly thought I build a subterranean transport vehicle and not design it to withstand lava? What kind of idiot do you think I am?"

"Are there different kinds?" Mikey asked.

Ignoring his brother, Donnie turned to Sydney.

"Do you remember where the battle took place?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Though I fear that may be where the other Fallen are." she added.

"It's a chance we'll have to take." Donnie told her. "Leo, bring the tunneler around so we're ready to go."

"Got it." Leo replied before heading off.

"And what about the Fallen?" Raph asked. "I doubt they'll be very happy with us snooping around where their prize fell."

Mikey blinked a bit at that, then gulped.

"Raph… I'm pretty sure Donnie's got a plan." He mumbled. "One we're not gonna like."

"Sorry Mikey, but someone's gonna have to keep the Fallen busy." Donnie lamented. "Leo needs to drive and I need to man my station for the tunneler to work, plus Sydney's the only one who knows where the moon is."

"Yeah, I hear ya." Mikey replied.

"We'll keep em off your back." Raph promised. "Just promise you won't take too long."

"We'll do our best." Donnie promised.

…

Soon Leo arrived with the tunneler, and Donnie and Sydney got inside so they could begin.

"So once we find the crystal moon, how are we gonna bring it up?" Leo asked.

"The Tunneler has a grappling feature." Donnie explained. "I just hope the chain's heat-resistant enough."

"Well, ready when you are." Leo told him.

Donnie gave him the thumbs up, signaling Leo to drive into the lava. Fortunately, the lava shields seemed to be holding as they ventured further and further into the fray.

Back up topside, Raph and Mikey began hearing very familiar growls and snarls. Mikey gulped, peeking around a rock to see the rest of the Fallen stalking around a pool of Lava.

"Found them." he whimpered.

"We just gotta hold em off until Donnie, Leo, and Sydney get back." Raph reminded.

"Hopefully they find that moon quick, because I think they just spotted us!" Mikey yelped.

The Fallen slowly made their way over to the two turtles as they drew their weapons. Stonebiter took a swing first, causing Mikey to leap to the side and Raph to leap over him, only to get greeted by Razorfist.

"Oh come on you guys!" Mikey cried out. "It's us! Don't you remember?"

"It's ain't gonna work, Mikey!" Raph called out, blocking a claw strike with his sai. "They're long gone right now!"

...

Back down below, Sydney was at the sonar, searching for any trace of the crystal moon.

"Tell me you have some kind of lead." Leo pleaded.

"Nothing yet." she replied, wiping her brow. "It's getting warm in here."

"The lava shields weren't designed for prolonged exposure." Donnie informed, also feeling a little hot under the proverbial collar. "We need to find that thing and fast."

…

Back topside, Raph was still clashing with Razorfist, blocking and dodging every strike he threw. As he backed away, he accidentally backed into Moonstone, who grabbed him from behind and tried crushing him. As Razorfist moved in to finish him off, Mikey came out of nowhere and kicked him aside.

"No one's mauling my brother on my watch!" Mikey called out.

Razorfist growled, snapping a claw and nearly taking off Mikey's head.

"Not too fond of them trying to maul me either." Mikey added.

Razorfist then grabbed Mikey by the belt and threw him aside. Raph meanwhile, still struggled in Monstone's grip. He managed to grab a smoke bomb out of his bet and toss it into his face, causing him to cry out and let Raph go. Raph then tackled Razorfist to the ground in retaliation.

While the two struggled, Mikey slowly sat up, rubbing his head. It was then that a glint of pink caught his eye. He glanced over, seeing a shard of the crystal moon stuck in the stone. His eyes went wide and he grabbed it, pulling it out.

"Alright!" He let out, looking over at Stonebiter, who was closing in on him. "Time to even the odds!"

He then charged towards the rock mutant, shard in hand as he moved in for the attack.

…

Back down below, the heat was really starting to get to the three of them. Sweat poured from all their brows, each breath getting harder to take. Thankfully, a blip finally appeared on the radar.

"There it is..." Sydney let out, huffing in relief. "The crystal moon."

"Finally!" Leo exclaimed. "Donnie, fire the grapnel!"

"On it!" Donnie called back.

Donnie then pressed a few buttons, shooting out a grapnel at the moon. Unfortunately, the current pushed it off course and it missed, forcing Donnie to reel it back in.

"Come on..." he hissed. "You can do it..."

Once it was fully reeled back, Donnie fired again. Unfortunately, he'd overcompensated, and missed again.

"Come on, please!" Donnie pleaded, reeling it back in again. "We have to make this work"

He fired a third time, and thankfully, the grapnel hooked onto the crystal.

"Yes!"Donnie cheered.

He attempted to reel it in, but that was when the chain snapped. Donnie's eyes went wide as he saw the chain break off as if it was made of putty.

"No!" he cried out.

…

Back topside, Raph was fending off monsters on all fronts, realizing that they were slowly closing in, and his odds of survival were dwindling with each passing moment.

"Mikey!" He shouted. "I could really use some help out here!"

"You got it bro!" Mikey called out, running up and leaping towards Stonebiter. "Booyakasha!"

He then leapt onto Stonebiter and shoved the crystal he found into his collar. It began to pulsate, and the stone mutant seemed to blink, looking around in confusion.

"Welcome back dude!" Mikey greeted. "Think you could help out my brother?"

He pointed over to where the other Fallen were ganging up on Raph, receiving a nod from Stonebiter. Stonebiter charged forward and knocked Monstone and King Nail back. Insectoid tried jumping on him, but Stonebiter just grabbed him and threw him off. Razorfist charged towards Stonebiter, but Mikey quickly wrapped his second kusarigama chain around him and pulled him back, allowing Raph to punch him out.

"And that's how it's done!" Mikey taunted.

"Hey Mikey," Raph spoke up, looking towards the lava. "Shouldn't they have come up by now?"

Mikey glanced over at the magma pool, wincing slightly.

"Yeah, I think so." he replied.

Stonebiter looked at the two turtles, then pointed at the pool.

"Oh," Mikey let out, realizing he was asking why, "Leo, Donnie, and Sydney went down to get the-"

Before Mikey could finish the sentence, Stonebiter ran towards the lava, jumping in as if it was a swimming pool.

"Stonebiter!" The two turtles shouted, running to the edge of the pool in shock.

"You think he can survive down there?" Mikey asked.

"He'd better." Raph replied, turning back to the groaning Fallen. "Or we're all gonna be toast."

…

Down in the tunneler, the heat was hitting them now more than ever, with the heat shields dying little by little. Donnie hazily looked through the windshield of the tunneler, nearly jumping in shock when he saw Stonebiter swimming towards them.

"What the..." he let out. "Am I hallucinating now?"

Stonebiter grabbed the drill by the front, planting his feet and giving it a mighty toss. All three passengers were thrown back as the drill completely cleared the lava, landing on its side on the opposite end of the lava pool. Raph and Mikey quickly ran over to the tunneler as the three got out.

"Guys!" Mikey cried out.

"You ok?" Raph asked.

"We'll live." Donnie replied. "Stonebiter. He's still down there."

"Why would he-?" Mikey began to ask.

Suddenly, the crystal moon came flying out as well, arching in the air before coming down right next to the tunneler. He then jumped out himself, landing in front of the group superhero style. He straightened up, patting the moon as if asking if they needed it.

"Next time, let's just send him." Mikey commented.

"Let's make sure there doesn't have to be a next time." Leo declared. "Donnie, do your thing."

"I'm on it!" Donnie replied, running over to the moon and pulling out his equipment.

...

It didn't take him to long to liquify the crystals and convert them into Retro Mutagen. He just finished the last vial as the Fallen began approaching them.

"Everyone," Donnie spoke. "Take a syringe, find a monster, and inject them."

"What about the rock ones?" Mikey asked.

"Them, you're gonna have to get them to ingest it." Donnie told them.

"Fun." Raph let out.

"You heard the turtle," Leo spoke up. "Let's do this!"

The four darted out to the remaining Fallen to finish this once and for all.

Leo went towards Razorfist, using his sword to keep his claws at bay as he searched for an opening. Finally dodging one of his swipes and leaping overhead, Leo landed on top of Razorfist, injecting him the head. Leo then bounced off Razorfist, knocking him to the ground as the Retro Mutagen took effect. The red, scorpion like form, faded away to reveal a red headed man in its place. Leo let out a sigh of relief.

Raph was taking on Monstone, dodging around every punch and strike the behemoth threw his way. Thinking fast, Raph leapt over another punch before running up his arm and leaping onto the back of his neck. He then grabbed it by the mouth and poured the Retro Mutagen down his throat.

"Down the hatch!" Raph called out.

Monstone then fell to the ground and began reverting back to his, or rather, her natural brown haired form. Seeing she was female, Raph instantly leapt off.

"Whoa!" Raph let out. "Heh, just don't tell my girlfriend about this and we'll call it even."

Meanwhile, Donnie clashed with Insectoid. Being a more feral version of Quarry, Donnie dodged around every spit of acid it could dole out. Finally, Donnie used his Bo Staff to vault over Insectoid and quickly spun around to inject him with the Retro Mutagen. Insectoid knelt over in reaction to the cure as he demutated back to a blue haired man.

"Whew." Donnie let out. "Three down, two to go."

At the moment, Mikey was fending off King Nail and his deadly tail. Down a nunchaku, Mikey was forced to step up in his defence, blocking every strike and blow he could. Eventually, after King Nail shot out his tail again, Mikey leapt up and hooked his nunchaku around it, riding it towards the mutant. He then landed on the mutant, and injected the Retro Mutagen into the creatures backside. Mikey then sprung off as King Nail turned towards him. Then, King Nail clutched his chest in pain before turning back into a platinum blonde woman.

"So King Nail was really Queen Nail?" Mikey realized. "Now I slightly feel bad about curing you through the butt."

Finally, Sydney handed the last cure to Stonebiter.

"It can turn you back." She told him. "It can give you your life back."

Stonebiter nodded, uncorking the vial and downing the concoction. Slowly, his rocky skin began to crumble away, revealing a well-built, african american man with dark hair. He stumbled slightly, Sydney moving to catch him. As he looked up, they both gasped in surprise.

"S-Sydney?" He let out.

"Richard?" Sydney said quietly.

Gently, they caressed each other's face, then pulled each other in for a deep kiss.

"I take it you two know each other." Leo surmised.

They pulled out of the kiss, still holding one another.

"Turtles, this is my husband, Richard." Sydney introduced.

"Welcome back, Richard." Donnie greeted.

…

After getting everyone dressed and some final testing, Donnie was happy to report that there was no sign of any latent mutant genes in any of the former fallen. In fact, their memories had returned in full, and they were all eager to return to the city. Once they made it topside, the newly restored humans winced at seeing sunlight for the first time in so long.

"I had almost forgotten how bright the sun could be." Sydney let out, One arm blocking the light while the other held Richard close to her.

"I can imagine it might be hard for you guys to reintegrate back into society after being gone for so long." Donnie admitted.

"Maybe, but it will be worth doing." Richard replied. "I can't thank you enough."

"Neither of us can." Sydney added. "Because of you, we have our lives back."

"We were more than happy to help." Leo reassured.

"I only wish I came up with the solution sooner." Donnie shared.

"You came back period." Sydney told him. "That is more than enough."

She planted a soft kiss on his forehead, then she, Richard, and the rest of the Fallen made their way out into the city.

"Aww." Mikey let out. "Looks like April's got some competition."

"Give it a rest ya goofball." Donnie retorted before getting back to business. "Speaking of April, I need to get the remaining crystal sludge back to my lab. There's still a few more mutants that need our help."

"Right." Leo agreed. "Our Retro Mutagen mission isn't over yet!"

The four turtles then hopped back down the manhole, ready to help out their friends in need. Unbeknownst to them, their whole conversation was being overheard by a figure watching from the rooftops. A massive, mutant turtle shaped figure named Slash.

"Retro Mutagen, eh?" He pondered.


	57. Saving Kirby O'Neil

_April O'Neil here. Man, it's been awhile since I've done one of these. Then again, a lot has happened. My dad got mutated, aliens invaded, we fled the city, came back… It's been a lot to take in. However, things are starting to look up. I managed to get the money I needed to rebuild the Second Time Around, and the construction is almost complete. I only wish my dad was here to see it…_

…

April adjusted her grip on her tonfas, steadying her breathing as she readied herself. Off to the side, Splinter sat in a meditative position, watching her closely.

" _Hajime!_ " He shouted.

April's eyes flew open as she began a semi-complex maneuver, going through the motions as if she'd done them a million times. She blocked unseen blows, batted away unseen enemies, and finished it off with a double tonfa takedown.

" _Yame!"_ Splinter shouted, signaling her to finish.

Splinter then stood up from his meditation and walked over to her.

"Very impressive April." Splinter commended. "Your training has really come a long way. I only add that your movements need not be so ridged from one strike to the next. You must let them flow into each other, like the seasons shifting from one to another."

" _Hai_ , sensei." she replied, bowing slightly.

At that moment, the entrance to the lair opened up, and the turtles slid down the ladder one after the other.

"It worked!" Donnie cheered. "They're all cured!"

"Aw yeah!" Mikey agreed. "Who's the turtle? Donnie is!"

"Hey guys," April greeted. "What's got you so excited.

"Oh nothing," Donnie replied dismissively. "Just the greatest scientific discovery of the century! Retro Mutagen!"

April's jaw dropped, as did her tonfas. She stared for a minute, completely and utterly gobsmacked.

"You… you found a cure?" he asked, her voice quiet from shock before desperation raised the volume. "You can turn my dad human again?!"

"You bet April." Donnie confirmed.

April immediately shot forward, hugging Donnie.

"I knew you could do it!" she cried, happy tears in her eyes as she gripped his shell. "Thank you, Donnie. Thank you."

"Of course April." Donnie replied, returning the hug.

"We were also thinking of giving you some, Sensei." Leo added.

"After everything you've done for us…" Raph chimed in, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well… how could we pass this up?"

Splinter seemed genuinely surprised by the gesture, the thoughts of being human again having never really come to him.

"To be human once more…" Splinter marveled before shaking his head to focus. "Save April's father first. Then I will… consider it."

With that, Splinter walked off.

"Hey Raph." Donnie spoke up. "Since I'm down to about three doses right now, why don't you give the last one to Lisa."

"Don, ya serious?" Raph asked.

"Of course I am." Donnie said. "You can take it to her once I've finished making it. I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture. I mean, she won't have to hide anymore. She could go outside when the sun's out and get her life back. I figure she deserves it for sticking with us through everything."

"Donnie, you the turtle!" Raph told him. "Mind if I go share the good news?"

"Go ahead Raph." Leo told him. "We got this."

Raph shot them a thumbs up before taking off.

"So you only have three doses?" April asked. "You can't make any more?"

"Not right now." Donnie shared. "The Kraang crystals were the key ingredient, and I exhausted the remaining supply helping the Fallen mutants. But at least we can help your dad."

"Let me know if I can help in any way." April insisted.

"Actually when we find him, you could be able to calm him down long enough for me to give him the cure." Donnie told her. "And fortunately, I know how to find him."

He then pulled out his shell cell and activated the tracker he put on Kirby a while back.

…

At the Monogamy residence, Lisa was in her room playing online videogames on her laptop. Thankfully, that was one luxury her mutation did not take from her. One of the benefits of online anonymity.

"Oh for Pete's sake, can you losers shoot straight?!" she shouted into her microphone while trying to pull ahead in a Call of Duty game.

Just then, there was a light knocking at her window. She jumped out of her chair, landing upside down on the ceiling before the cord of her headphones brought her back down to earth. Raph winced at the commotion as Mrs. Monogamy's voice called out from the hall.

"Lisa?" she shouted. "Are you okay?"

Lisa disentangled herself from her headphone cord.

"I'm fine!" she shouted back. "I just need to kick Raph's shell for startling the heck out of me!"

"Heh, guess I should've called first." Raph admitted as Lisa approached the window and opened it.

"Ya think?" She replied, slugging him on the arm. "What're you even doing here? You know tuesday is COD night. You should've joined us. My team could use Red Stripe's help."

"I'd love to but something came up." Raph explained. "Something I know you'll love."

Lisa was intrigued, so she quickly went over to her headphones.

"Game over, I forfeit." she announced before shutting down her computer. "What is it?"

"You know that cure Donnie's been working on for months?" Raph asked.

"Yeah..." Lisa replied.

"Well… he finally got it." Raph told her.

Lisa's eyes went wide.

"He… he did it?" She asked. "It works?"

"We tried it on some mutants hiding underground and it worked like a charm." Raph told her.

Lisa seemed completely speechless, holding her arms slightly. Her eyes darted around the room, a mixture of excitement, elation, and… indecision.

"You ok?" Raph asked. "I thought you'd be happy."

"I am, I am." she quickly assured him. "I just… why me? I mean, what about Mark or Mondo, or whatever he's calling himself?"

"He's said he's cool being a mutant." Raph told her. "But I kinda figured you'd like to be human again. Have some semblance of a normal life back."

Lisa gave a small shrug.

"I honestly… I don't know." she admitted. "I mean, it'd be great to be human again, but… then what would happen to us?"

"Hey, doesn't matter if you're human or salamander to me." Raph reassured. "I'm always gonna care about you."

Lisa smiled at that, giving him a hug.

"Thanks Raph." she said, pecking him on the cheek. "I'll think about the cure. But for now, I'm pretty sure my mom's making those mini pizzas you love. Wanna snag a snack then play some one on one?"

"You bet." Raph replied, climbing inside.

…

Across town, Donnie's tracker led the four of them where Kirby had taken up residence.

"There he is." Mikey whispered.

"Dad..." April sighed.

Leo sniffed around, seeing a large pile of garbage gathered beneath the sleeping bat. He gagged slightly, covering his nose.

"Well, at least he seems to be eating." he said, trying not to hurl

"Alright April." Donnie spoke up. "Just hold his attention long enough for me to administer the cure."

April took a deep breath, then slowly walked towards the mutant bat. His ear twitched as she approached, his eyes flying open. He let out a screech, jumping down from his perch and landing in front of her. She gasped a bit, but forced herself to remain calm.

"Dad?" she said quietly, holding out her hands in what she prayed was a calming gesture. "Dad it's me. April."

Kirby stalked towards her, nostrils flaring. His screeching died away slightly and he seemed to adopt a less threatening stance.

"It's gonna be ok." April reassured. "We're gonna cure you, dad. You can come home."

As April calmed Kirby, Leo motioned Donnie over to inject him with the cure. Donnie slowly walked over to him, gripping the pink mixture in his hands. Just as he prepared to administer it, the door to the warehouse was suddenly ripped off its hinges. This spooked Kirby, forcing him to flee towards the entrance. As he flew towards the opening, something knocked him aside, injuring him slightly, but not halting his escape.

"Dad!" April cried out.

Before anyone could address the Kirby issue, the figure behind the dismantled door stepped into the light, revealing himself to be none other than Slash.

"You freaks have something I want." He told them.

"Aw great." Mikey let out. "Slash."

"Slash?" April asked.

"Hun." Donnie answered.

"Hun?!" April exclaimed.

"Hun." Leo confirmed.

The four ready themselves as Hun barreled forward towards them. They all leapt out of the way of his oncoming fists, causing Slash to growl as Mikey landed, spinning his nunchucks.

"Lookin for another beatdown, Slashy boy?" Mikey asked.

"I'm looking for your brother's Retro Mutagen, the stuff you were gonna use on the old bat." Slash answered. "Hand it over, and I'll make your deaths as painless as possible."

"Fat chance, pal!" Leo replied, running towards him.

He swung his swords against Slash's claws before the larger turtle punched him aside. Mikey went for the same spot he hit last time, but Slash just grabbed him by the arm.

"Did you honestly think you could beat me with the same trick twice?" Slash asked.

"Well, yeah kinda." Mikey replied.

Slash backhanded Mikey across the warehouse, and right into Donnie. The impact caused the Retro Mutagen vial to go flying before crashing to the ground, spilling its contents out.

"The Retro Mutagen!" Donnie cried out. "No!"

Slash's eyes went wide as the pink solution soaked into the ground, now completely useless.

"You made that stuff." Slash told Donnie, turning towards him. "You can make more."

"Except I can't." Donnie threw back. "My resources are limited, and-"

"Or maybe you just need proper incentive." Slash mused, eying April.

Her eyes went wide as she backed away in fear. Before she could make another move, Slash leapt over to her and grabbed her by the back of the neck.

"April!" Donnie let out.

"Let her go, Hun!" Leo demanded.

"Agree to make me more Retro Mutagen, and I'll consider it." Hun sneered. "Until then, I think I'll hold onto her for a while."

With that, Hun leapt to the skylight of the warehouse and burst through it to escape, carrying April with him.

"April!" Donnie cried out. "No!"

"Calm down, Don." Leo insisted. "We'll get her back."

"I know… but what about our Retro Mutagen problem?" Donnie asked.

"We'll just have to work with it." Leo told him. "For now, Mikey, call Raph and tell him what's going on. We're gonna need all hands on deck."

"You got it." Mikey called back.

…

Back at Lisa's, Raph and Lisa were in the middle of a one on one Call of Duty battle. The TV blared with sounds of their game as they tried to get one another.

"Eat that, Red Stripe!" Lisa cheered as she clipped Raph's avatar with a bullet.

"Hey, no fair!" Raph criticized. "You were camping out there."

"It's called strategy." Lisa dismissed. "I thought that'd be lesson number one in ninja school."

She stuck out her tongue childishly, the long pink thing wiggling playfully before she retracted it.

"Whatever." Raph dismissed. "By the way, how'd you come up with a freaky name like Y'Gythgba?"

"I was mad that all the good names were taken and I rage quit on my keyboard." she shrugged.

"Ah." Raph responded.

Just then, his shell cell started vibrating. He answered it in surprise.

"Hey what's up?" He asked.

" _Raph, we got a problem."_ Mikey told him. " _Slash is back."_

"Uh-oh." Raph let out. "How bad?"

" _He took April and we're down a vial or Retro Mutagen."_ Mikey relayed.

"Ooh, that's bad." Raph winced. "I'll be there ASAP."

"Need an extra set of hands?" Lisa offered, turning off the game.

"If you're up for it." Raph replied. "Slash doesn't go down easy, trust me."

"Not a problem." Lisa assured him. "Just let me do one thing."

She then took a deep breath, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"MOM!" she exclaimed. "RAPH NEEDS SOME HELP WITH A PROJECT, CAN I GO?!"

"Just let me know if this becomes an overnight visit!" Ms. Monogamy replied.

"THANKS MOM!" Lisa called back before turning to Raph. "Alright, let's go."

Raph just smirked as the two went out.

…

Back at the lair, Donnie sat in his lab, mauling over his options.

"I can't let Hun hurt April." Donnie said to himself. "We'll have to divide our resources. But what about Lisa? And Splinter?"

"What about me?" Splinter asked, startling Donnie a little.

"Sense?!" Donnie let out, turning around and seeing him standing behind him. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long." Splinter answered. "Leonardo told me about the situation. You must split up if you are to rescue April."

"Sensei, you gotta know this isn't what I intended to happen." Donnie told him. "I wanted to help everyone hurt by mutagen, including you. But-"

Splinter cut Donnie off by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I may not be human, but I am fortunate enough to have my humanity." Splinter shared. "Save Kirby. No matter what."

"Sensei… are you sure?" Donnie asked, genuinely surprised.

"Kirby needs this more than I do." Splinter insisted. "Do what needs to be done."

Donnie looked over at the two remaining vials of retro mutagen, picking them both up.

"I will Sensei." he promised.

About that time, Raph and Lisa came in, skidding to a stop next to the lab table.

"Mona Lisa reporting for duty." she declared, giving a small mock salute.

"Nice timing guys." Leo told them, walking towards them. "The way it's gonna work is we're gonna split into teams. Donnie and I will go rescue April, while you three find Kirby."

"Uh, Leo?" Donnie spoke up. "I'm all for being on team 'rescue April', but last time we fought Slash, you and I were the ones that got thrashed the most."

"This time it's different." Leo insisted. "Slash caught us by surprise last time, but this time, he needs us alive for his cure."

"And if you're still worried," Mikey spoke up. "I called some backup."

About that time, the lair entrance opened up, and Casey Jones came sliding down the ladder.

"Somebody call in the cavalry?" Casey asked.

"Oh great." Donnie muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, I know you don't like me that much D, but I care about April too, and you're gonna need all the help you can get to save her."

"Right." Donnie relented. "Oh, Lisa, before I forget."

He held out one of the Retro Mutagen vials for her to take.

"Here." he told her. "So you can cure yourself."

Lisa glanced down at the vial, then stuck it into the pocket of her hoodie.

"Let's focus on April's dad for now, then we'll see how I feel about the stuff." she told him.

"So, how are we gonna find Kirby?" Raph asked. "You still got that tracker on him?"

"Unfortunately not." Donnie replied. "He knocked it off when he escaped. You'll have to lure him in somehow."

"How are we gonna find a giant bat in the middle of New York?" Raph asked.

"Food." Splinter told them. "Any creature can be attracted by food."

"Cool," Mikey replied. "So what do bats eat?

"Well, Kirby seems to have bonded with one of the many species of carnivorous bats." Donnie recalled. "So he'd eat insects, like flies, moths, that kind of thing."

"So what?" Mikey asked. "We just dress some chump up as a giant bug?"

Lisa and Raph looked at each other before smirking and turning back to Mikey.

…

A few minutes later, Mikey was dressed up in a ridiculous fly costume. The wings were made out of cardboard and newspaper with paint splattered on them. He had four extra arms made out of slinkies and rubber gloves, and a pair of antennae that looked like they were from an old bee costume. Over his eyes, he had a pair of goggles made from juicers.

"I feel like bait." Mikey commented.

"Don't think of it as bait, Mikey." Raph told him. "Think of it as… your new superhero identity."

"Oh yeah." Mikey replied, rolling his eyes. "The turtle fly. Nah, that doesn't work. Fly turtle?" No that's just dumb… huh, Turflytle! Tur. Fly. Tle. I love it!"

Lisa groaned, putting her face in her palm.

"Why do I get the feeling you just opened up a can of worms?" she muttered.

"Just go with it." Raph told her.

…

Meanwhile, Slash had kept April at the abandoned Purple Dragon headquarters. She was tied to one of the support rails, struggling the entire time.

"Let me go you ugly excuse for a turtle!" she shouted. "We need that Retro Mutagen to cure my dad!"

"Like I care." Hun dismissed. "I just wanna be human again! That's all that matters to me."

"You're insane." April commented.

Hun just snarled in response.

…

Out in the city, Lisa leapt across the rooftops, following Raph as he glided through the skies holding Mikey by a rope.

"Any sign of him?!" Lisa asked into a walkie talkie.

"Nothing yet, buzz buzz." Mikey reported. "Still keeping a sharp eye out, buzz buzz."

"Will you stop doing that?" Raph insisted.

"I could, buzz buzz, but I probably won't, buzz buzz." Mikey replied.

Lisa let out a long groan, then perked up as a mischievous grin grew on her face.

"Hey Raph." she said with a playful edge to her voice. "I think I may know why we haven't gotten anything yet."

"Oh?" Raph asked, recognizing the tone in her voice.

"Flies fly in erratic and wild patterns." she pointed out. "Try tossing Mikey around randomly. That should make him seem more like an insect."

"No problem." Raph replied, beginning to swerve his flight pattern.

The eretic flying caused Mikey to cry out in a panic.

"Waaagh! Buzz buzz!" Mikey let out.

Raph and Mikey continued to fly through the air for a little bit. Their flight pattern was noticed by a bat like creature, peaking out of the shadows and seeing what could be a tasty snack.

…

Back at Purple Dragon headquarters, Leo, Donnie, and Casey all looked through the skylight at the captive April. Slash was guarding her too closely to risk a stealth mission.

"No chance for a stealth op." Leo deduced.

"Then it's time for plan B." Casey declared, opening the skylight.

Casey then dropped down and pulled out a hockey stick.

"Let her go, Hun!" Casey declared, pointing the hockey stick at him and seeing his new form more clearly. "Whoa, and I thought you were ugly before."

"Jones..." Slash snarled. "Come to rescue your girlfriend. How noble."

"Happy to slay the ogre to save girl, not trying to objectify." Casey spoke.

"I hear ya." April reassured.

Hun just growled as he swung at Casey. Casey ducked under the blow before nailing Hun in the face with his stick. The stick did cause Slash to step back, but it also broke against his face,

"You're gonna have to do better than that." Hun taunted.

"Good thing I got more where that came from." Casey replied, pulling out a stun bat from TCRI.

He smacked Hun with the bat, shocking him and knocking him back. Casey grinned, twirling the bat in his hand.

"Man am I glad I kept this baby." Casey remarked, charging at Hun again.

While Hun and Casey were going at it, Leo and Donnie made their way over to April.

"You alright?" Donnie asked.

"Am now." she replied. "Where're the others?"

"Looking for your dad." Leo relayed. "Hopefully they'll find him soon and we can cure him."

Suddenly, Donnie's shell cell went off, blaring 'Bad to the Bone' rather loudly. He pulled it off his belt, the caller ID being a picture of a pissed-off Raph who looked like he was about to pounce on the camera.

"Raph, tell me you found Kirby." Donnie asked, answering the phone.

" _Yes, but he's being a little difficult."_ Raph reported. " _How fast can you get to the Upper West side?_ "

"We'll be there soon." Donnie replied, handing up. "They got him, but I don't think they'll have him for long."

"Then let's book!" Leo declared. "Casey, come on!"

Casey threw one last swing at Hun before joining the others as they made their escape. The oversized turtle groaned, slowly forcing himself to his knees and glaring up at the skylight where the ninjas had made their escape. He snarled before leaping up to the skylight to give chase.

…

Back with the other team, Kirby continued his pursuit of Mikey as Raph pulled him along. Lisa ran along the rooftops, going on all fours to try and keep up with them.

"Careful Raph, Mikey's a little too close to that thing's mouth for comfort!" she warned.

"Yeah, you're not supposed to eat Turflytle, buzz buzz!" Mikey agreed.

"Well maybe I'll just give him a little taste." Raph teased.

"Raph!" Mikey exclaimed.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." Raph reassured.

"Raph, veer left!" Lisa shouted.

Raph did so, narrowly avoiding a billboard. Kirby tried doing the same, but he ended up crashing into the billboard, tumbling onto the roof. The three of them landed on the roof and made their way over to the fallen bat.

"Oh man..." Lisa winced. "Looking at what the mutagen did to him, I got off easy."

"Luckily, he won't have to worry about that any longer." Mikey reassured. "Hopefully Don gets here with the mutagen before he wakes up."

Lisa shot out her tongue, hitting Kirby on the back of the neck. The bat stiffened slightly, though remained out of it.

"That should buy us a few minutes." She declared.

…

Meanwhile, the others raced across the rooftops to where Raph and co. were waiting. After a long travel through the city, they finally reached the rooftop where the others were waiting with Kirby. April walked over to her unconscious father, kneeling down by his side.

"Is he-?"

"Just sleeping." Raph promised. "We tried our best to be gentle."

"Don't worry April." Donnie reassured, taking out the Retro Mutagen. "Just a little dose from this stuff, and he'll be back to normal."

Before he can pour it, a large shape jumps up from below the street, snatching the vial. It then landed on the roof, revealing itself to be Slash.

"I believe this belongs to me." He declared.

"Hey!" Donnie cried out. "Give that back!"

"Fat chance of-"

Before he could finish, Raph came in and kicked him in the face. As the vial fell out of his hands, Mikey swung over and caught it before it could fall to the street.

"Aw yeah! Turflytle to the rescue!"

"Nice one Turf- I mean, Mikey." Raph complimented.

"Mikey, keep away!" Lisa shouted, running across the roof.

"You got it!" Mikey called out, throwing her the vial.

Lisa quickly grabbed the vial and dodged Hun's attempts to grab it. Lisa then tossed the vial at Leo. Leo grabbed it and ran at Hun, leaping onto his head and springing off as he passed off the vial. Raph quickly caught it and rolled in on the ground towards Casey, who used his hockey stick to shoot it at Donnie. Donnie caught it just as Hun barreled towards them.

"Catch me if you can, Slash!" Donnie taunted.

Hun brought both his fists up and tried to bring them down on Donnie, but he leapt over them as he tossed off the vial. April quickly jumped up and grabbed it before running towards her dad. Hun saw this and chased after her, closing in fast. Lisa shot out some poison at Hun, hoping to slow him down. The poison made contact with Hun's neck, causing him to topple over neer April. His stray hand caused her to trip and drop the vial. It bounced twice before falling off the edge of the roof.

"No!" Everyone shrieked, watching as it smashed onto the sidewalk below.

Donnie just dropped to his knees in defeat, seeing his only hope for Kirby spill away. Slash was equally upset, which quickly turned to rage as he struggled to fight through the effects of Lisa's poison. He barely propped himself up to glare at the turtles before Lisa gave him a kick, sending him plummeting down into the alley before. Everyone turned to her as she reached into her pocket, pulling out her vial of Retro-Mutagen.

"Lisa?" Raph questioned. "What are you?"

She suddenly cracked the vial over Kirby's head, dumping the contents onto the mutated bat.

"But… but that was-" Donnie tried to protest.

"The last of the stuff?" she finished. "Yeah, I know. He needed it more than I did."

She then stepped back as Kirby began to convulse and writhe in agony, his mutated limbs contorting back to a normal size. His skin turned pale, his wings retracted, and within moments, Kirby was fully human once again.

"Dad…?" April let out. "Dad!"

She immediately ran over and hugged him. Though clearly disoriented, Kirby instantly recognized his daughter and pulled her closer.

"April..." he let out. "Thank goodness you're alright."

"I was gonna say the same." April replied, tears rolling down her eyes.

"Aw yeah!" Mikey let out. "Kirby's back!"

"Lisa, I…" Raph spoke up. "Thank you. I know you were-"

"It's fine Raph." Lisa reassured. "I'm happy with being a salamander. After all, if I hadn't been mutated, I'd have never met you. Being human just isn't my thing anymore."

Raph just smiled in response. Leo meanwhile peered over the edge and saw no sign of Slash.

"No sign of Slash." Leo lamented. "Add him to the list of rogue mutants running around New York."

"From what I hear it's piling up." Casey joked.

"Slash is Turflytle's greatest supervillain adversary, buzz buzz." Mikey declared. "But if he's out there, buzz buzz, I'll find him, buzz bu-"

Before Mikey could finish, Lisa walked up behind him and unceremoniously shoved him off the roof. She then watched him fall right into a large pile of trash below, his declaration reduced to terrified screams.

"Oops." she deadpanned, not even the slightest bit apologetic.

"I'm ok!" Mikey called back.

Out of nowhere, Raph pulled Lisa in close, kissing her full on the lips. She seemed stunned at first, then melted into the kiss, her ankle slipping up as she did.

"Typical." Donnie commented. "We do all the work, 'he' gets all the thanks."

"Let him have this." Leo told him as they continued to make out.

…

Back in the lair, Donnie informed Splinter on all that had transpired, including Lisa's sacrifice and subsequent make-out session with Raph.

"Lisa's sacrifice was admirable." Splinter commented. "She should be commended."

"Unfortunately, that means that there's no more Retro Mutagen." Donnie lamented. "I'm sorry Sensei, but I can't keep my promise to make you human again."

"You need not worry yourself, my son." Splinter told him. "I am content with my place in life. I have no true desire to return to the world above. I know where I am needed, and where I belong."

Donnie smiled, then hugged Splinter. Splinter returned the hug in kind, a smile on his snout.

…

Down in the sewers far from the turtles lair, Hun trudged through the sludge and filth hoping to get some cover. As he made his way along, he felt that someone was following him.

"Come out and show yourself!" He cried out, whipping around.

"Now, now, is that any way to speak to an old friend?" a familiar voice taunted.

A figure then stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be Nakumo.

"You?" Hun realized. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to make you an offer." Nakumo replied. "How would you like your old job back?"

"You want me back?" Hun asked. "What's the catch?"

"Why must there be a catch?" Nakumo replied. "I just have need of your skills. Well me… and the Shredder.

"The Shredder?" Hun repeated. "The Shredder's dead!"

"He lives, and when he returns, you want to be on his side." Nakumo told him. "So the real question is, do you want to take the chance that he won't come after you?"

Hun growled in response, knowing he might be right.

"So, what do you say?" Nakumo asked.


	58. Rogue In The House Part 1

_There comes time in the life of the ninja when he or she must choose between the path that others would have them follow and the true path of their heart. My name is Leonardo, and for the past several months, I have tried to show Karai the truth behind these words. She was raised by the Shredder, taught ninjutsu by him, and even with his death, she still serves him. But Karai is nothing like the man she believes was her father. Because of that, she is going to have to make a choice between following in the footsteps of Oroku Saki's madness and serving her own sense of honor. I only hope she makes the right choice._

…

After months of repair work and refurnishing, the 2nd Time Around was finally back in one piece. The apartments above had already been set up once again, and all that remained was restocking the antique store itself. The turtles had immediately offered their aid, something April immediately accepted.

At present, Mikey was directing Raph and Leo in setting up a very large, and very heavy, book case.

"Ok, a little more to the left." Mikey told them as they struggled to comply. "No wait, a little bit more to the right."

They moaned as they moved it back to the right.

"No, no, back to the left." Mikey corrected.

"Mikey..." Raph warned.

"And… we're good." Mikey finally declared.

The two finally set it down on the ground, both somewhat out of breath. April approached, giving Mikey an approving grin.

"Nice eye." she complimented. "Think you can get the books and comics arranged on the shelves for me? I need them by date, as well as alphabetical order."

"You got it." Mikey reassured. "I got an eye for organization."

"Really?" Leo replied, smirking. "Is that why your rooms always in a mess?"

"Hey, I can be organized." Mikey responded. "I'm just selective on where."

As Mikey went to the books, Donnie finished his work on the stores neon sign. The words "We're Open" shown in bright red letters.

"That should do it." He declared.

"Nice work Donatello." Kirby commended. "I don't think I can thank you four enough. If it weren't for you, I doubt April and I would ever get this new place up and running."

"No offense Kirby," Donnie replied. "But if it weren't for us, you'd still have the first one."

"Hey, don't talk like that guys." April insisted, wrapping an arm around her dad. "You made up for that and more in spades."

"I'm tellin you, it looks better in the front!" Raph yelled as he and Casey moved a suit of armor.

"Your eyes must be on backwards, it looks better in the back!" Casey argued.

April sighed, walking back inside and letting out a small cough to get their attention.

"Actually, the armor goes next to the bookcase to the left." she corrected. "Like I _told_ you boys."

"Oh… right." Casey realized.

"We'll just… move it there then." Raph replied.

"Thank you." April said with a small nod. "And please, try not to break it this time."

As they went to comply, Donnie looked over the plethora of artifacts they were unloading, his analytical eye noticing that many were genuine museum-quality pieces almost.

"Wow, you guys sure have some cool stuff." Donnie commented.

"It's all thanks to my brother August." Kirby explained.

"Uncle Auggie." April sighed. "Never staying in one place for too long. He's always out hunting mysteries, exploring strange places… To be honest, I always dreamed of going along with him one day. At least until I met you guys."

"Guess we're adventure enough." Donnie joked. "Eh, Leo?"

Leo blinked, having been listlessly cleaning and stacking some fine china in a glass cabinet.

"What?" he asked. "Did you say something?"

"What's with him?" Kirby asked.

"He's still thinking about her." Donnie told him. "About Karai."

"That girl ninja?" Kirby recalled.

"We've been through so much together." Leo listed off. "She's seen the darkness of the Foot. She knows the truth. Hamato Yoshi was her father. How can she still wanna stay with them?"

"Leo, you can't just expect her to drop her entire life overnight." April told him. "The Foot Clan's all she's ever known."

"Yeah bro." Mikey agreed. "Her entire life is based around a lie. By telling her the truth, you've challenged everything she's ever known! The truth will set her free! Just give her the time to take it all in!"

There was a moment of silence as everyone just stared at Mikey.

"As… dramatic as that was, Mikey's right." Donnie commented.

"I must admit, that was rather profound Mikey." April admitted.

"Hey, I'm not all one liners and bad guy names." Mikey replied. "I like to have some pearls of wisdom tucked a- holy shell is that Justice Force number 37?! I have been looking everywhere for this! April, how much?"

"And he's back." Raph announced.

"You want it?" April asked with a smile. "Finish organizing the shelves correctly within the next five minutes, and it's yours."

"You got it." Mikey promised, returning to his work.

"Anyway," Donnie spoke up. "You just gotta give her time Leo. She'll come around."

"Yeah, come around to stab you in the back." Raph remarked.

Leo rolled his eyes, facing his red-banded brother.

"Again with this?" he questioned. "She's different, Raph. She helped us stop Koga Takuza back in Feudal Japan, and she helped us end the war on the city."

"Yeah, yeah, I know she helped save the city and you're all buddy buddy." Raph replied. "But I'm sorry, I don't trust her. Not for one second."

"That's your problem Raph." Donnie remarked. "You don't trust anyone."

"Hey that's not true." Raph insisted, letting go of the suit of armor.

Casey immediately lost his grip on his half, and it all went crashing to the ground. April whirled on Raph in a heartbeat, her face as red as her hair.

"RAPHAEL SPLINTERSON!" she shrieked.

"Oops…" Raph let out nervously. "I'll just… go get a broom."

Leo just rolled his eyes in response.

…

Nakumo stood on the deck of the Foot Freighter as a helicopter with the Foot insignia flew towards them. It slowly landed on the deck as the door opened, allowing Karai to get out.

"I don't appreciate being summoned like I'm some sort of trained dog." She snapped as she approached Nakumo.

"I apologize, but you did ask me to contact you if there was any change in your fathers condition." Nakumo responded.

That snapped her out of her mood immediately. Her back straightened and a hopeful glimmer lit up her eyes.

"He's awake?" she asked.

"Come see for yourself." He told her.

The two then walked off towards Shredder's healing chamber. Once they entered, Karai saw that Shredder's eyes were indeed open. Though his left one was cloudy and sightless, his right one was bright, widening at the sight of his daughter.

"Karai..." he said, his voice distorted by the oxygen mask around his nose and mouth, as well as the healing solution he was suspended in.

"Father..." she gasped, running up to the tank.

She placed her hand against the glass, grateful to hear her father's voice again. After staunching the tears that threatened to flow, she turned to Nakumo.

"How much longer is he gonna be like this?" Karai asked.

"Considering the amount of scarring on his body," Nakumo began, "it might be another month before-"

"No!" Shredder cut off, causing both Karai and Nakumo to turn towards him. "I am better now."

"But Master, your scars." Nakumo tried to reason.

"I wish to keep them." Shredder insisted. "They will serve as a reminder of everything I have lost… and everything I fight for now."

Karai gave a nod, turning to Nakumo.

"Let him out." She told him. "Now."

Nakumo nodded and pressed a few buttons on Shredder's capsule. The liquid drained out as Shredder slowly landed on the ground. The tube then opened up and Shredder pulled his mask off, allowing him to take a breath.

"To feel again…" He let out.

He turned to Karai, who approached him cautiously. She reached for him, losing the battle against her happy tears. He gave her a smile, pulling her into a hug. They embraced for a moment, then she pulled back, wiping her eyes and straightening.

"I took care of your armor." she reported, turning towards the door.

It opened, and a pair of Foot Ninjas walks in carrying the parts if his armor, a third holding the Kuro Kabuto on a velvet pillow. Shredder walked over and put on the armor piece by piece. After finally attaching his cape, he walked over to the final ninja, who knelt down and held out the Kuro Kabuto to him. He wasted no time taking it.

"And so, I stand before the world," He declared before placing the helmet on his head. "Reborn!"

Both Karai and Nakumo knelt before him until he ushered for them to rise.

"It's good to have you back, Father." Karai told him. "I only wish that I had some good news for your return."

"Yes." Shredder let out. "Nakumo informed me of what had befallen our clan in my absence."

"I regret to admit that in my lust to avenge what I believed was your death, I neglected my duties as the heir to the Foot." Karai admitted. "Many forces defected, including the Elites. Though the crime families and the Foot are once more in their proper place, many of our men were killed in the ensuing war. Those that weren't were sent back to Japan for training."

"Yes, sadly the few that remain are reduced to maintaining this vessel." Nakumo added.

"True Nakumo." A voice agreed.

The three of them turned to see Slash, joined by Bebop, Rocksteady, Tokka, and Rahzar, entering the room.

"But what we lack in numbers, we make up for in strength, and loyalty." Slash concluded.

Karai took one look at Slash and doubled over in laughter. She nearly fell over from her hysterics, much to Hun's annoyance.

"Hun?" she let out, still struggling to suppress her laughter. "Is that you? I can't believe it! You're a turtle!"

Shredder did not share her sense of humor. In fact, under his face mask, he was scowling.

"Loyalty?" Shredder repeated, walking over to him and holding one of his claws to his neck. "Interesting choice of words coming from you Hun, considering you lead the Purple Dragons in an open revolt to claim my empire!"

"Please, Master." Slash pleaded. "It was a mistake. I was overly ambitious. Just give me another chance. I'll serve you! Please."

Both Bebop and Rocksteady exchanged glances at Shredder's remarks, slowly trying to back away. They were stopped by Tokka and Rahzar respectively, the two grabbing them and forcing them to stay.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rahzar growled.

"Don't think we forgot about how you joined up with that one-eyed cat." Tokka hissed.

"Nakumo, explain why you have allowed this gutter trash back into my ranks!" Shredder demanded.

"I understand your hesitation Master," Nakumo reassured. "But like I said, we need all the aid we can get. Besides, Hun's more 'beastial' form allowed him to nearly kill the turtles, if my agents are to be believed."

"Is this true?" Shredder asked.

"Y-yes." Hun confirmed. "I nearly had them in my grasp, but I was tricked and defeated by one of them before I could finish them off."

"Oh yeah?" Karai questioned, having finally regained control over herself. "Which one?"

"The… orange one." Hun begrudgingly shared.

With that, Karai's hysterics returned in full force. Shredder shot her a look that caused her to clam up, straightening and putting on a neutral face. Once she was calm one more, he turned his attention back to Hun.

"Your betrayal and desertion is reason enough for me to strike you down." Shredder declared before retracting his blades. "However, your mutant form does seem to have its advantages. Very well, you live… for now."

"What about Bacon and Bonehead?" Rahzar asked.

"They're still as useless as ever, and they betrayed you too." Tokka added.

"What?!" Bebop squeaked. "We didn't betray you! Honest!"

"Yeah, we was kicked out!" Rocksteady agreed. "And we came right back! We ain't no traitors!"

"You will stay." Shredder relented. "If only because dealing with you would be a waste of time."

Tokka and Rahzar released them at that, then Nakumo spoke up.

"Now that we've settled that issue, perhaps you will allow me to show you what I have been working on." He suggested.

"I must admit, I've been curious about what else has been going on aboard this ship." Karai mused.

"I have been meaning to send reports," Nakumo admitted as they started walking off. "But we've had a lot to do."

"Then let's see the fruits of your labors." Shredder declared.

…

The group walked into a massive laboratory where Foot technicians and Kraang droids were hard at work. The group looked amongst them all, honestly impressed with the set-up.

"Someone's been busy." Hun commented.

"Our alliance with the Kraang has yielded many rewards." Nakumo responded. "All they have asked in return is protection from the Utroms and their Guardians."

"Small price to pay, all things considered." Karai remarked.

"Indeed." Nakumo agreed. "Though they aren't the only 'brains' of the operation."

This got everyone's attention as a malicious gleam came to Nakumo's eyes.

"Allow me to reintroduce you to Dr. Baxter Stockman." He announced, stepping to the side and revealing a large glass jar containing a human brain with an eye attached.

The mutants all went wide-eyed, Karai went pale as her mouth dropped in horror, and Shredder seemed genuinely taken aback.

"This is Baxter Stockman?" He questioned, stepping towards the jar to address what remained of the 'good doctor'. "You've lost weight."

"Of course it's me!" He shouted. "Look around you! Do you honestly think this facility would be possible without my genius?! The Kraang are capable enough, but these technicians you have working for you have the technological savvy of amoeba!"

"And you've been very naughty, Stockman." Shredder replied. "Betraying me once too often. You should have quit while you were… a head."

Shredder chuckled at his own remark as Stockman's eyestalk seemed to roll.

"Go ahead and laugh Shredder." Stockman replied.

As he began rambling, Nakumo walked up and turned a knob on his tube, quieting him.

"Having Stockman in this state has its advantages." He commented.

"Where was that years ago?" Slash remarked.

Karai's overwhelming sense of horror had kept her silent this entire time, but Slash's remark snapped her out of her funk. She turned to Shredder with a desperate expression.

"Father, surely you do not condone this." she insisted. "Nobody deserves to suffer like this, even a traitorous bug like Stockman."

"It is unconventional… yet effective." Shredder admitted.

"Then you will enjoy how Stockman was convinced to share so much of his intelligence with us." Nakumo replied, holding up a remote.

With the push of a button, Stockman's tube was surging with electricity, causing him excruciating amounts of pain. Stockman screamed in agony, causing Karai to act on instinct. She shot forward, knocking the remote out of Nakumo's hands and into her own. She turned off the effect, whirling on her father once more.

"Father, please!" she begged. "This is wrong! You must know that this isn't-!"

She cut off when she saw him just standing there, holding out his hand. She hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly handed it over. Once it was in his hands, he reactivated Stockman's torture, causing Karai to cover her mouth in disgust and horror.

"But father-!" she tried.

"Never presume to question me Karai!" Shredder cut off. "As far as I am concerned, Stockman will serve as the perfect example of what happens to those who betray me. Is that clear?"

Karai wanted to argue. Her conscience (which ironically sounded a lot like Leo) was screaming at her to do so. However, she merely lowered her eyes and bowed.

"Yes… father." she said quietly.

Shredder then turned towards Hun and his other subordinates, expecting a similar answer.

"Y-yes Master." Hun agreed as Stockman's torture ended. "A perfect example."

"Yeah, definitely." Bebop spoke up.

"No argument here." Rocksteady gulped.

"Excellent." Shredder replied.

"Well then," Nakumo spoke up. "Perhaps now would be the perfect time to show you your new army."

"New army?" Shredder inquired.

"As Karai pointed out before, most of our forces are either dead or undergoing training." Nakumo remarked. "But no matter. I do believe I've found the solution to our current problem."

Nakumo lead them to an open part of the lab before clapping his hands. On cue, a group of Foot Ninja landed on the ground in perfect synchronicity.

"I am proud to present the Foot Mech Warriors." Nakumo introduced. "Robotic Foot soldiers designed around the Kraang exo-skeleton. They possess ten times the strength, speed, and durability of any human soldier. Best of all, they are obedient to your every command, either directly, or remotely through this command center."

Shredder looked at the robots, noticing a few more lines up along the wall. Two of them were disguised as people, though they were lacking in the face department, and a third was covered with a tarp. Shredder did a quick count, his eyes narrowing when he realized how few there were.

"I only count twelve here." Shredder noted. "Why?"

"Slow production, I'm afraid." Nakumo reported. "Without Kraang Prime, the Kraang aren't as efficient as they once were. We can make more, but it will take time. But these maybe all we need. Nine combat ready Foot Mechs await your command, and when complete, these two will be perfect replicas of the President of the United States, and the Prime Minister of Japan."

Karai looked over at the tarp covered figure.

"And what about this one?" she asked, pointing at it.

"That, I was saving for last." Nakumo replied, walking over to it. "Consider it, a welcome home present."

Nakumo then threw off the tarp, causing both Karai and Shredder to gasp. Standing before them was a robotic version of Master Splinter, a complete identical copy right down to his single ear. As the two stared, Nakumo activated the robot, then lowered a metallic plate with a turtle carved onto it.

"Watch this." He told them. "Foot Mech, destroy!"

The robot darted forward and kicked the plate, denting it. Another kick knocked the plate off its supports and onto the ground, completely decimated. Karai watched the plate fall, feeling utterly sick to her stomach.

"Father, are you really going to use this thing?" she questioned. "What about your desire to defeat him in an honorable fight?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Shredder told her. "And we are desperate."

"But-"

"Karai!" Shredder cut off. "You have said your piece. Now you will obey my command."

Once again, her Leo-voiced conscience insisted she keep trying, but she shoved it down and silently obeyed.

"You have done well, Nakumo." Shredder commended, turning to his lieutenant. "Now, let us put these robotic warriors to use. Send this one out to track down the turtles, find their new hiding place, and destroy them, once and for all!"

…

After finishing up at the 2nd Time Around, the turtles slipped down into the sewers, piling into the Sewer Slider. Once everyone was buckled in, with Mikey still reading his comic, Raph hit the accelerator and sent them whizzing down the tunnel.

"I gotta say Don, out of all the inventions you've made, the Sewer Slider is one of my favorites." Raph commented as he drove the Slider around a tight corner.

"Thanks." Donnie replied. "Now remember, I recently upgraded the engine to give it a speed boost, but I haven't had time to test it yet. So please take it nice and-"

Raph grinned and floored the accelerator, sending the Slider into overdrive as it zoomed at incredible speeds down the tunnels.

"-SLOW!" Donnie screamed.

"I'd call this a successful field test!" Raph shouted over the noise.

As they rounded the next corner, Donnie saw something in the tunnel ahead of them approaching fast.

"Raph, hit the brakes"! Donnie called out. "HIT THE BRAKES!"

Raph did just that, the slider skidding to a stop. The turtles gripped to the car as it came to a halt.

"Donnie, what the-" Mikey began to protest before looking up and seeing what he saw. "Whoa…"

The turtles looked on and saw a lone Triceraton, his uniform tattered and a crack in his face mask. The Triceraton was breathing heavily, almost as if gasping for air.

"A Triceraton?" Leo questioned as they got out. "Here?"

"Think it's an invasion?" Mikey asked.

"No." He replied. "I think he's… lost."

"Enemy… sighted…" The Triceraton wheezed out.

The turtles readied themselves as the Triceraton barreled towards them. To their surprise however, he ran right past them towards a power box on the wall behind them.

"Enemy engaged." he choked, ripping the box from the wall and crushing it in his hands. "Enemy… elimi-"

His declaration was cut off by a fit of coughing. Despite the Triceratons being their enemies, the turtles couldn't help but feel somewhat worried about the clearly unwell alien.

"What's wrong with him?" Raph asked.

"It's the air." Donnie pieced together. "The Triceratons breath an atmosphere of nitrogen and sulfur, remember?"

"Hard to forget." Mikey remarked. "I nearly choked on the stuff."

"If their atmosphere was toxic to us, it stands to reason ours would be toxic to him." Donnie informed. "And I'm willing to bet it's affecting his mind as well as his body."

As if to prove his point, the Triceraton turned to them. He straightened up, doing the Triceraton salute.

"Rescue… party..." he managed. "Agent Zog…. reporting for-"

Once again, he started coughing, struggling to remain upright and in his salute.

"I get it." Raph realized. "He thinks we're some Triceraton officers."

Donnie then pushed Leo forward.

"Go talk to him." he insisted.

"What?" Leo hissed. "Why me?"

"You're the Space Heroes nut." Raph retorted. "Now go!"

"Fine!" Leo relented, walking over to Zog. "Soldier, relay orders!"

"Orders: capture… Fugitoid, sir!" Zog replied. "Followed Fugitoid… to unknown coordinates… Was separated… from unit… Unable… to return to base… lost… weapon. Mission… failed…. Permission to…. Terminate self… for failure… to complete-"

The strain of speaking caused him to double over once more. It also gave Leo a chance to collect himself after hearing Zog's request.

"What? No!" Leo protested. "I mean… the Fugitoid mission, was a success! You are to be commended for your, uh… survival skills!"

"Thank you… sir." Zog replied before coughing again.

"Dudes… I think our air is killing him." Mikey commented.

"He's essentially breathing in poison." Donnie added.

Suddenly, Donnie had an idea, prompting him to head over to the Sewer Slider and open the hood.

"I think I can rig up a temporary breathing apparatus with one of the nitrogen fuel enhancers on the Sewer Slider." Donnie informed.

"Hold on a minute." Raph interjected. "What happens when horn head gets a clear head and decides that we're the enemy?"

"That's a chance we'll just have to take." Donnie replied. "Besides, we can't turn our backs on a creature in pain. That's just wrong."

He then approached Zog, quickly disassembling his broken breathing apparatus before attaching the tank. To ensure it stayed, he slipped some duct tape over the cracks in his mask.

"There you go." he said. "It's a bit rough, but it should do the trick."

Zog took a deep breath, clearly revelling in the 'fresh air'.

"Thank you… sir." he said quietly.

"My sons…" Splinter's voice cried out, causing the turtles to spin around.

They saw a seemingly wounded Splinter leaning on his walking stick as he hobbled towards them. The turtles immediately rushed over to help him.

"Sensei!" They all cried out.

"Sensei, what happened?" Leo asked.

"An intruder... in the lair." Splinter explained. "I was attacked. We must… go back… defend our home..."

He toppled over, Zog easily catching him. The Triceraton's eyes narrowed.

"He's cold." he said. "And still..."

"What do we do?" Mikey asked.

"We do what we're told." Leo replied. "We go back to the lair-"

"And I'm gonna put the hurt on whoever did this to Splinter!" Raph cut off, pounding his fist.

"Right, everyone back in the Sewer Slider." He ordered. "Zog, follow us, soldier!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Zog replied.

With that, the turtles hopped into the Sewer Slider and took off for home, Zog running alongside them with Splinter still in his arms. They barely made it to the end of the tunnel before a second figure stopped them. What was cause for confusion and concern was the revelation of who that second figure turned out to be; Splinter.

"Master… Splinter?" Leo let out.

...

The the Foot Mech control bay, Shredder, Nakumo, and Karai were watching the events unfold from the eyes of the Splinter-mech. Upon catching sight of the real Splinter, Karai had grinned.

"Looks like there's a major flaw in your plan, Nakumo." she taunted. "Now there's two Master Splinters."

"I don't see you offering suggestions." Nakumo snarled.

Karai latched onto the opportunity, knowing just what to do to throw a wrench in the plan.

"Well, I'd try and convince the turtles that the real Splinter was the copy." she offered. "Have them turn on their own Sensei."

Nakumo smiled at the idea and turned towards the Foot Technician, nodding. The technician the typed a few keys on the console.

…

"That… is what attacked me… my sons…" The Splinter Mech wheezed out. "Destroy it…"

"No my sons." Splinter insisted. "That is an imposter. Listen to your Sensei. Listen… to your father."

The turtles all turned towards each other, starting to consider which one might be their true Sensei.

…

"You fool!" Shredder snapped. "They would never fall for such an obvious ruse! Destroy them now, while you still have the element of surprise!'

"Y-yes Master." Nakumo agreed. "You heard him, activate the Foot Mechs lethal protocols!"

…

At that time, the eyes of the Splinter Mech started glowing red. It jumped out of Zog's grip, launching at the turtles. It kicked Leo in the head, knocking him to the ground, before grabbing Raph and throwing him against the sewer wall. Donnie quickly pulled out his staff and tried swinging it at the Mech, but it just caught the staff and threw Donnie aside. Mikey leapt up and tried throwing his chain at the Mech, but the Mech easily caught it and pulled Mikey in close before kicking him in the chest. As Mikey skidded across the sewage, Splinter leapt into the fray and blocked his robotic doppelganger with his staff.

"Sensei!" Leo called out. "We have to help him!"

"Yeah, but which one?" Raph asked.

The two Splinter's continued trading blows back and forth. Neither one seemed to be getting the edge on the other.

…

"Well this is getting tedious." Karai muttered.

"Nakumo, I grow impatient." Shredder snarled. "End this!"

"Kick it up to full force!" Nakumo ordered the technician.

…

The Mech's eyes glowed even brighter as it tried punching Splinter. Splinter quickly dodged, causing the Mech to punch right through the brick.

"Whoa!" Raph let out. "That thing is tough!"

Splinter took a quick swing at the Mech, nailing it in the face. It turned back towards him, revealing part of its metallic skin underneath. Zog let out a growl, his fists clenching.

"Miserable machine..." he snarled. "Just a dishonorable tactic."

Just then, Raph was struck with an idea.

"Hey soldier," He spoke up. "How about clobbering that hunk of junk?"

"Yes sir!" Zog replied.

Zog then charged forward, snatching up the Splinter-Mech and ramming it into a wall. He then grabbed it by its tal, bashing it into the ground over and over before finally ripping it in half. He threw the pieces to the ground and was about to continue when Raph and Leo ran up.

"Whoa, stand down soldier!" Leo told it.

"Ya did good, ya won." Raph reassured.

"Sensei, are you alright?" Mikey asked, running over to him.

"I am fine my son." Splinter reassured.

Zog dropped the broken Splinter-mech on the ground, snarling at it.

"Krang-tech," he sneered. "It may be altered, but I recognize the make."

"Been awhile since we dealt with those brain blobs." Raph remarked.

"First mind controlled Splinter now robo Splinter?" Donnie mused, looking over the robot. "What's next?"

"I do not know." Splinter replied. "But I am weary of our enemies using me and my likeness to attack my family. This calls for action."

The turtles seemed somewhat taken aback by Splinter's aggressive declaration.

"Never seen Sensei so tense before." Mikey whispered to Raph.

"Yeah." Raph replied before smirking. "I'm kinda enjoying it actually."

"Aha!" Donnie let out, pulling out a piece from the robot. "Just as I thought. A remote control module."

"Can you trace the signal?" Leo asked.

"Like you have to ask?" Donnie remarked, heading towards the Sewer Slider. "I just need some equipment from my lab."

"We'll stay here." Leo told him. "Hurry back."

"You got it!" Donnie replied before driving off.

…

Back on the freighter, Shredder was less than pleased with the turn of events regarding the Mech.

"What happened?!" He cried out.

"I don't know if there was something wrong with my eyes, but it looks like a dinosaur ripped your robot to pieces." Karai quipped.

"Find out if anything can be salvaged from the robot." Shredder ordered. "I want the turtles destroyed!"

As Nakumo scrambled to do so, a pair of Kraang droids spoke to one another from the rear of the room.

"Did Krang see the creature that was the creature seen by Kraang?" the first one asked.

"Affirmative." the second one replied. "The creature that was the creature seen by Krang was also seen by Kraang."

"The Kraang recognized the creature as one that is known as a Triceraton." the first one remarked.

"So, you've encountered these creatures before." Shredder deduced walking over to them.

"Affirmative." the second Krang confirmed. "Kraang had encountered the creatures known as Triceratons a time that is known as many times."

"Do tell." Shredder replied.

…

Back in the sewers, Donnie finally returned in the Sewer Slider, holding a handheld device.

"I call it a direction finder." Donnie explained. "It should hone in on the remote control signal and lead us straight to the source."

"Great work, Don." Leo told him. "We'll follow the signal and figure out just who's behind this attack."

"Permission to accompany you, sir." Zog requested. "If the Kraang are involved, then it is my sworn duty to eradicate them!"

"Permission granted soldier." Leo replied, hitting a switch on the Sewer Slider that extended the back. "Hop on!"

Zog leapt into the back, causing the car to shake slightly before they drove off.

…

On the freighter inside Shredder's main office, Shredder was still talking with one of the Kraang droids about the Triceratons.

"Can we expect any future Triceratons?" Shredder asked.

"Negative." the Kraang replied. "The Triceraton that is the Triceraton seen by Kraang appeared to be that which is known as alone. The Triceraton that is the Triceraton seen by Kraang is most likely that which is known as lost."

"Master." Nakumo spoke up as he and Karai entered the room.

Shredder motioned the Kraang to leave as he turned to the two of them.

"What is it?" Shredder asked.

"The Splinter Foot Mech has gone completely dark." Karai informed. "Your dinosaur completely wrecked it."

"The last signal indicated that the turtles may have discovered the remote control module," Nakumo asked. "And have come aware of our presence here."

"Considering you've just recovered from your time in the healing vat, a strategic retreat would we the best course of action." Karai offered up, silently hoping that they'd get away and avoid a confrontation with the turtles.

"For once, I agree with Karai." Nakumo replied, much to Karai's surprise. "I can have the ship ready to leave within the hour."

"No." Shredder decided, to the surprise of both of them. "Let them come, if they are foolish enough to try."

"But Father, your condition-" Karai tried to argue.

"I can see no better way to test my newly recovered strength," Shredder spoke, extending his claws. "Then to squeeze the life out of Splinter and the turtles, with my own hands!"

Shredder then slashed through a nearby table, causing it to fall to pieces as Shredder laughed maniacally and Karai looked on in horror.


	59. Rogue In The House Part 2

_Unit to Republic Command, trooper Zog reporting log entry. After pursuing Fugitoid to asteroid, was teleported to unknown coordinates. Fought against Federation forces and unknown reptilian creature. Became separated from my unit. Wandered for unknown number of days. Destroyed Federation spybot before attaching myself to Triceraton commando squad. Together we decimated a Kraang android impersonating a commanding officer. We are now on the trail of the android's secret outpost. The commandos are brave warriors, and I am ready to fight alongside them._

…

After some sewer travel and a move topside, the turtles, Splinter, and Zog found themselves at a dock sneaking behind several crates.

"You sure this is the place Donnie?" Mikey asked.

"Positive." Donnie confirmed. "The signal is coming from inside that freighter."

"And look who's insignia is emblazoned on it." Raph growled, pointing at the ship. "Our old buddies, the Foot Clan."

"But that doesn't add up." Leo realized. "Karai leads the Foot now, and she gave us her word they'd leave us alone."

"Like I told you a million times, Leo," Raph snarled, "her word doesn't me a thing!"

"Raphael, enough." Splinter silenced. "Whether Karai is involved or not is unknown. We must focus on the danger right in front of us."

"The area is under heavy patrols." Zog pointed out. "A frontal assault would prove disastrous, if not suicidal."

"Good thing frontal assault wasn't plan A." Leo replied. "We go full stealth mode."

"Sorry sir," Zog spoke up. "But stealth is not one of this unit's strong points."

"Noted." Leo responded. "Ok, change of plan. Mikey, you and Donnie stay here and watch Zog. Raph, Splinter, and I will sneak inside and see what we're up against."

"You got it, Leo." Mikey told him.

"Sir, yes sir." Zog replied.

With that, Leo, Splinter, and Raph made their way towards the ship. They quickly grabbed hold of one of the ropes tying the ship to the dock and climbed up it. Once they reached the deck, they peered over the edge and saw two Foot Ninja on patrol. Raph and Leo just looked at each other and nodded before leaping onto the deck and running up to them. They each grabbed a ninjas head and bashed them together, knocking them out. As they dropped to the ground, and third ninja came running up, drawing his sword. Before he could make a move though, Splinter's staff went soaring through the air before hitting the ninja in the face. The blow knocked the ninja to the ground as the staff bounced back into Splinter's hand.

"Whoa." the two let out.

"We have no time to dottle." Splinter told them.

"Right." Leo agreed, looking around and seeing an air vent. "Raph, do your thing."

"You got it." Raph replied, drawing a sai.

He pried off the vent, allowing the three of them to crawl through.

...

The three ninjas made their way through the vent, moving quickly yet quietly. As they crawled on, they eventually reached a section of the vent that allowed them to look into the room below them. They could see several Foot Technicians and Kraang droids working on various robot projects, including more Foot Mech warriors.

"Whoa, robo Foot goons." Raph remarked.

"Now we know their endgame in all this." Leo pieced together. "They're making an army. If these things hit the streets-"

"There is no telling what chaos they could unleash." Splinter dreaded. "This facility must be completely destroyed."

"Agreed." Leo said as he fished out his shell cell.

…

Donnie's phone buzzed and he fished it off his belt.

"That was fast." he remarked. "How bad is it?"

" _How bad does a robot Foot Ninja army sound?"_ Leo proposed.

"Pretty bad." Donnie replied, turning on his phone's speaker. "What's the plan?"

" _We need to blow the ship sky high."_ Leo answered. " _First we need to get this thing out to open waters away from the city. Raph, Master Splinter, and I will hit the bridge and get this puppy moving. Mikey, you and Zog cast off the mooring lines and meet us on the bridge. Don, think you can sink it?"_

Donnie couldn't help but chuckle at Leo's question.

"You kidding?" Donnie remarked. "If I can't figure out how to sink a floating Foot lab sitting on two tons of diesel fuel, I might as well hand up my tool belt."

Donnie hung up the phone, then took off towards the ship, leaving Mikey and Zog with their own job to do.

"C'mon soldier, we've got work to do." Mikey declared.

…

Meanwhile, Karai was on monitor duty, keeping an eye on the various security cameras around the ship. She'd nearly had a heart attack when she saw Leo, Raph, and Splinter sneak onto the ship, mentally screaming various words of the obscene category over and over in her head.

"Karai." Shredder spoke up, causing her to jump. "Any sign of the turtles?"

"No, not yet." She lied. "I'll let you know the second I see anything."

Before Shredder could respond, Nakumo came running in.

"Master, we have a security breach." He reported. "Several of our guards were found unconscious."

Shredder scowled at this.

"Scour the ship." Shredder reported. "Karai, take the mutants and search the south side of the ship. Nakumo, take Hun and the Elites and search the north. Find them!"

"As you command, Master." Nakumo replied, walking off.

Karai also went to do as she was told. As she went, Shredder gave her a suspicious look, unsure of what to make of her recent behavior.

…

Donnie quietly vaulted onto the deck and began making his way towards the engine room. As he did, he heard voices coming from around a corner.

"I can't believe we're stuck working with Bacon and Bonehead again." Rahzar snarled.

"Easy Rahzar." Tokka admonished. "That's the Master's decision."

Donnie thought fast and dove for cover behind some barrels of fuel. He carefully peeked out as the two mutants rounded the corner.

"Still, those two are useless idiots, Tokka." Rahzar insisted.

"Don't go against his orders, Rahzar." Tokka warned. "Remember, he protected Carol and Jeffrey during the invasion, as well as during the war."

Rahzar sighed.

"I remember." He replied.

They passed by Donnie's hiding spot, followed by Bebop and Rocksteady. The two looked like they wanted to argue with the other two mutants who were trash talking them, but seemed to scared to do so. The fifth member of the party took up the rear, causing Donnie to blink.

"Karai?" he whispered. "So she is involved."

Rahzar's ears perk up, making Donnie afraid that he was heard. Karai also perked, her eyes drifting over to the barrels Donnie was hiding behind.

"We're not alone..." Rahzar snarled.

"Listen, dog-breath." Karai suddenly snapped. "The turtles no doubt already made it inside. Let's stop wasting time out here and keep searching."

She then ushered the mutants away from the area, finally allowing Donnie to emerge from his hiding spot.

"Or… maybe not." he amended, making his way to the engine room.

…

Inside the bridge, Leo, Raph, and Splinter finally arrived, pulling themselves from the vents and making there way to the control panel. There, they were greeted with a confusing and massive assortment of buttons, switches, and dials.

"Yeesh, all these buttons and not one of them says 'on'." Raph remarked.

Suddenly, the door to the bridge was thrown open, allowing Slash to stalk into the room. He grinned maliciously as he pounded his fist into his palm.

"Welcome aboard, gentlemen." he greeted. "I'll be your cruise director for this evening. Tonight, you'll be experiencing pain. And lots of it."

"Hun?" Raph responded. "What's the matter? Couldn't take us alone so you went crawling back to the Foot?"

"Actually, I was invited back." Slash informed. "Something to do with my skills with slaughtering turtles."

"Or lack there of." Raph joked, drawing his sai.

"He's come closer than most." Nakumo remarked, stepping out from behind Hun. "Perhaps this time, he'll finally succeed."

"Nakumo." Leo let out. "Long time no see. Where ya been?"

"Tending to business." Nakumo replied, drawing his swords. "Don't worry though, you're still high on my priorities list."

"Lucky us." Leo responded, drawing his swords. "Though there's three of us, and two of you."

Nakumo shook his head, chuckling.

"You never learn, do you?" he remarked, snapping his fingers.

On cue, the Elites burst through the windows, aiming their weapons at the heroes.

"Aw shell." Leo let out.

…

Back down below, Zog managed to pull off the first mooring line from the dock and tossed it aside.

"Good work soldier." Mikey commended. "Now let's get the front mooring line."

"Yes sir!" Zog replied.

They began making their way when one of the Foot ninjas popped out from behind a crate. It threw a series of shuriken at Zog, which dislodged his breathing apparatus. He gasped and choked, oxygen suddenly flooding his lungs.

"Zog!" Mikey cried out.

As he ran towards Zog, the ninja leapt towards him and tried to slice his head off. Mikey quickly ducked under it and kicked the ninja in the stomach. This caused him to kneel over in pain before Mikey brought both fists down on his head, knocking him out. Once the ninja was down, he ran over to Zog and replaced his breathing apparatus. Once Zog was breathing normally once more, he turned to Michelangelo with a smile.

"Thank you, my turtle friend." he told him.

Mikey just smiled before perking up in realization

"Wait, you knew?!" Mikey let out.

"Ever since the robot attacked down in your sewage system." Zog nodded.

"That long?" Mikey realized. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I was unsure of what to make of you." Zog admitted. "When we fought back on the asteroid, you were fearless and terrifying warriors. You had every reason to leave me to suffocate, but you showed mercy. I have not known such honorable actions since the days of the old Triceraton Republic."

"We like to look out for those in need." Mikey replied. "No big."

Zog smiled warmly, then he looked up and immediately grabbed Mikey.

"Get down!" he warned, diving behind a box just as more shuriken struck the crate behind them.

"Nice save." Mikey replied. "Looks like the party's just getting started."

…

After making it to the engine room, Donnie began working on a little creative rewiring of the ship's fuel line.

"Just need to cross the red wire with the blue wire…" he said to himself.

The wires sparked, and he grinned.

"Perfect." he declared. "Now we've got about 30 minutes before this tub lights up like the Fourth of July!"

He turned to leave before coming face to face with several Foot Ninja.

"Oh… joy." he let out.

…

Back on the bridge, a full blown brawl had broken out. Raph was fighting the double blade and axe Elites, while Leo fended off the spear and trident Elites, and Splinter fought Slash and Nakumo.

"Leo, when you promised me a vacation cruise," Raph spoke up, blocking an axe strike. "This wasn't what I had in mind!"

"It looked so much nicer in the brochure!" Leo replied, blocking both the axe and trident at once.

Splinter meanwhile, kept dodging around Slash's monstrous swings and punches.

"Hold still you little rat!" Slash snapped, trying to grab at Splinter.

Splinter just ducked under another swipe as he brought his stick up to block Nakumo's sword.

"Not bad, for an old rat." Nakumo remarked.

"Age has its advantages." Splinter replied.

Splinter then leapt onto Nakumo and springboarded off of him, landing behind Slash. He then palm struck Slash, causing him to fall on top of Nakumo. Splinter then made his way to the controls and pulled the ignition switch. The engines started roaring, and the ship began moving.

…

Back down below, Zog grabbed two Foot Ninja and bashed them together as Mikey kicked another to the ground. He was about to comment on a job well done, but noticed that the ship was already moving.

"Oh no!" Mikey cried out. "The love boats sailing, and we didn't get the last mooring line!"

The freighter only went a short distance before the last line pulled it to a stop.

…

Inside the bridge, the sudden stop caused everyone to fall over onto the ground. Raph slowly got up and saw his sai on the ground next to the Elite's axe. Thinking fast, he made a dive for it, grabbing it just before the Elite grabbed his weapon.

"Never go one on one against a turtle." Raph threatened, only for the double blade Elite to knock a sai out of his hand.

"But I guess you already knew that." Raph remarked.

...

Thinking fast, Zog charged forward, using his horns to rip the mooring line free of the dock. Mikey punched the air as Zog straightened up.

"Aw yeah!" he cheered. "Way to go, Zog!"

"Mission's not over yet." Zog informed him.

He bent down, grabbing Mikey by the shell before throwing him at the ship. Mikey screamed as he went flying, eventually managing to grab ahold of the anchor chain. Zog took a few steps back, then took a running start towards the edge of the docks. He leapt off the edge, managing to grab onto the anchor chains.

"Nice one, Zog!" Mikey complimented. "You're the man! Err… Dino!"

"Still have a job to do." Zog reminded.

"Right." Mikey replied. "Let's go!"

…

Down in the engine room, Donnie pulled out his staff and readied himself against the veridable army before him.

"I don't suppose you boys would be willing to direct me to the captain's quarters." he mused.  
The ninjas just moved on him, weapons at the ready. Donnie just batted one aside before swinging at another one's head knocking him out. He then vaulted over the group and used his blade to cut a steam pipe. Steam filled the room as sounds of blows and violence filled the air. By the time the steam settled down, all of the ninjas were out cold, Donnie twirling his staff triumphantly before sliding it onto his back.

"Don't get up." Donnie told them, putting his staff away. "I'll find my own way out."

…

Back on the bridge, the fighting continued. Leo kicked the trident Elite aside, only to get slashed in the back of the shell by the spear Elite. Raph quickly ran up and kicked the Elite aside. Splinter ran towards Slash and tried bringing his stick down on him. As he raised his arms however, Nakumo shot out a chain that wrapped around them and yanked him to the floor. Slash placed a foot on him, causing Splinter to grunt in pain and making Leo and Raph turn around.

"No!" Leo let out.

"Hun, if you harm one hair on Master Splinter's body, you're gonna wish you were never born!" Raph threatened.

"That depends on you, freak." Slash replied.

"Drop your weapons, or the rat gets it." Nakumo threatened.

"My sons… no…" Splinter pleaded. "Do not give up your weapons."

"Master Splinter…" Leo responded. "I'm sorry."

Leo and Raph tossed their weapons to the ground in defeat, much to the delight of the villains.

…

Down in the lab, Karai returned with the mutants in tow.

"We've scoured the south side of the ship." she reported. "Still no sign of the turtles."

Shredder growled in response.

"We will wait for Nakumo and Hun to report in." Shredder decided. "Let us hope they have better luck. In the meantime, Stockman!"

"You shouted?" Stockman asked, hovering forward.

"This situation needs to be resolved." Shredder told him. "I need more warriors. How soon can you have more Foot Mechs at the ready?"

"I can have them ready in a few weeks." He reported. "This kind of technological genius takes time and-"

"Then allow me to give you a little motivation to accelerate the process." Shredder replied, taking out the remote and activating it.

Electricity surged through Stockman once more, causing Karai to wince and look away in shame.

"Stop it!" Stockman cried out. "Stop!"

"I'm waiting." Shredder insisted.

"Alright!" He relented, Shredder finally shutting off the electricity. "There are a few more mechs on standby. They're incomplete, but they'll get the job done. And of course, you have the world leader Foot Mechs."

" _Master!"_ Nakumo called in on a video screen. " _Hun and I have captured two of the turtles and the rat. Shall we destroy them?"_

"No!" Karai shrieked, slapping a hand over her mouth the second the word left her lips.

Shredder spun towards her, looking confused and frustrated.

"Hold your position." Shredder told him. "You will receive orders soon.

Nakumo nodded in response as the line went dead.

"Karai, you have been second guessing my every decision tonight." Shredder informed as he walked up to her. "Why?"

She slowly lowered her hand, her eyes on the ground as she finally spoke her mind.

"Father… you cannot slay Chung Li and the turtles." she told him.

Though outraged, he remained silent, waiting to hear her reason.

"I promised to end the blood debt against their clan, no, their family." she went on. "It was the only way to end the war and restore the Foot."

"A means to an end." Shredder dismissed. "Nothing more."

"But Father, I gave them my word of honor." She argued. "Does that mean nothing to you?"

Shredder slammed his fist against a console.

"It is because of honor I fight!" Shredder yelled.

Karai flinched back in response to the outburst. Shredder then collected himself and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Have you forgotten what Hamato Yoshi did to me? To us?" Shredder asked. "Do you remember the fate of your mother?"

Her fists clenched, her eyes returning to the ground.

"I'll never forget." she whispered.

"When she and my brother died, I swore to end Hamato Yoshi and his lineage." Shredder continued. "Every day Chung Li and his turtles live is a stain on both their memory and our honor. One we are duty bound to wipe clean, at any price. Do you understand?"

Once again, that Leo-voice conscience screamed at her, telling her that everything he was saying was wrong. She wanted to listen, to fight back, but fifteen years of her father's teachings overwrote that desire.

"I understand." she reluctantly replied.

"We shall see Karai." Shredder told her. "For I am charging you with the task of slaying the turtles."

…

Leo and Raph had been forced to their knees, their hands bound behind their backs. Splinter was wrapped up in chains, kneeling beside them. Slash and Nakumo stood over them, the former leering down at the captive mutants. After a minute, the door to the room opened, revealing a miserable Karai. She entered the room, closing the door behind her and locking it. Raph took one look at her and his vision went red.

"Hey Leo, it's your girlfriend." He remarked.

"Karai…" Leo said, disappointed.

"Hello Leonardo." She greeted solemnly. "I'm… sorry we had to meet like this."

"So am I." Leo let out.

She sighed, then turned to Nakumo and Slash.

"Where are his swords?" she asked.

"I hardly see how that is relevant." Nakumo replied.

"Cut him loose, and return his swords." She ordered, ignoring his remark.

"Why?" Nakumo insisted. "Just kill him now!"

"If I am going to do this, I'm going to do it my way." She snapped. "Now cut him loose and return his swords!"

"Aw, let her have her fun Nakumo." Hun replied, cutting Leo free. "It just makes things all the more interesting."

"Very well." Nakumo relented, tossing Leo his swords.

He caught his blades, turning to face Karai.

"Hey turtle boy." Slash spoke up. "Take her out, and we might let the rat go free."

"Sorry Karai," Leo spoke. "But I can't let you do the Foot's dirty work without a fight!"

Karai drew her tanto, letting out a deep breath.

"That's what I'm counting on." she whispered.

The two then began circling each other, staring the other down. For a moment, it seemed that nothing existed except the two of them. Leo darted forward first, swinging one of his swords against her blade. She gave a megar swing to him but he easily evaded it, much to his surprise. The two continued trading blows back and forth. After locking blades for a moment, Leo shoved his sword up, causing her tanto to fly out of her hands. It landed just a few feet away but Karai didn't make a move for it, much to Leo's confusion.

"What are you doing?" Leo whispered.

"Just end it, Leonardo." she hissed, tears in her eyes. "I'm begging you."

She then rolled for her weapon, getting into a basic defensive stance, one Leo knew could be easily broken through.

"No Karai." Leo told her. "You don't get to take the easy way. You have to make a choice!"

Leo then darted at her and clashed his blade against hers. She shoved him off, looking at him angrily and pleadingly.

"You don't understand, this is the only way." she tried to explain. "If I kill you, I break my word of honor, but if I don't, I betray my father. No matter what I choose, I will have lost my honor."

Leo swiped at her head, but she quickly ducked under it before trying to stab at him, but he quickly blocked it.

"Do you remember what I said when we last met Karai? When we fought side by side?" Leo questioned. "I said you were nothing like the Shredder. That you understood honor in a way he never could. But if you continue down his dark path, then you have no honor!"

This seemed to set Karai off as she shoved him off and started swinging wildly at him.

"I was taught that honor, Bushido, means everything to a true warrior!" Leo continued.

Leo ducked under one of her swings and kicked her aside, causing her to roll on the ground to a crouched position.

"I was raised to live by that code." Leo resumed, putting his swords away. "Can you do that? Can you live with honor? If you truly believe what you're doing is just, then slay me now."

"No! Leo!" Raph cried out.

Karai looked at him, looked at Raph and Splinter, then looked at Nakumo and Slash. Closing her eyes and steeling herself, she ran forward. For a moment, it looked as if she was about to kill Leo, but instead, she released her tanto and it went flying across the room. It bounced off a wall, then skittered across the ground until it stopped right behind Raph.

"Forgive me, father." She whispered, dropping to her knees.

"I knew you had gotten soft." Nakumo criticized. "Hun, end this."

"Gladly." Slash replied, brandishing his claws.

"Oh boy." Leo let out.

"Don't worry." Hun reassured. "This is gonna hurt you a lot more than its gonna hurt me."

Before he could move in, there was a loud crashing noise in the distance. Everyone paused as a second crash occurred. Finally, I large silhouette appeared in the window before smashing its way through. This revealed the figure to be Zog, Mikey clinging to his back and cheering.

"There's no need to fear!" he declared. "Michelangelo is here!"

Mikey then leapt off and kicked the trident and axe Elites to the ground.

"Mikey!" Leo cheered. "Nice timing."

Just then, Donnie leapt in and grabbed the double blade Elite, throwing him across the room.

"Hope we're not too late." Donnie announced.

"You're just in time, Don." Leo assured him.

While all this was going on, Raph managed to grab Karai's tanto and cut himself free. Once the ropes were cut, he quickly freed Splinter before grabbing his sai and throwing them at the last remaining Elites hands, pinning him to the wall. Donnie quickly came up and smashed his staff against his stomach, knocking the air clean out of him. Leo meanwhile clashed swords with Nakumo, who was putting up much more of a fight than Karai did. Leo used one blade to block both his swords while using his free one to strike him across the chin. As he stumbled back, Mikey wrapped his chain around him and flung him out the window, screaming. All that remained was Slash.

"First the turtles now a big ugly dinosaur?" He let out. "This city's getting freakier everyday!"

"I am no dinosaur..." Zog snarled. "I am a Triceraton!"

Zog then charged forward, ramming right into Slash and pushing him across the floor until finally flinging him out the window.

"Aw crud!" Slash cried out as he splashed into the water.

"Nice work, soldier." Leo commended.

"No need for the soldier thing, Leonardo." Zog told him. "You can just call me Zog."

"He knows?" Leo asked.

"Yup." Mikey confirmed. "And he's totally cool with it."

"Really?" Donnie questioned.

"You are honorable creatures, ones who spared the life of a being who once called you enemy." Zog told them. "Aiding you in your quest is the least I can do to repay the life-debt I owe."

"You are honorable Zog." Splinter commended. "We cannot thank you enough."

While they spoke, Leo picked up Karai's discarded tanto, walking over to her. She was standing exactly where she'd been when she'd released it. Her eyes were glassy, and she just looked lost.

"I think you dropped this." Leo spoke, handing her back her weapon.

She wordlessly took it, just looking down at the blade.

"I betrayed my father..." she whispered. "I turned my back on everything he's taught me… What do I do now?"

"That is entirely up to you." Splinter said, walking over as well.

"But-"

Splinter placed a hand on her shoulder before she could continue.

"You are who you choose to be, not what others make you." Splinter informed.

Donnie glanced at a watch hidden under the straps on his wrist, his eyes going wide.

"As touching at this is, we've only got about 15 minutes before this ship is a burning wreckage sinking beneath the waves." he informed them,

"Right, time to bail." Leo declared.

"Go." Karai told him. "There should be some lifeboats on deck. Take them and get away while you still can."

"What about you?" Leo asked.

"I'll be fine." She reassured. "Just go!"

Raph came over and took Leo's arm pulling him out of the room. Karai watched them go, looking down at her tanto once again. Her eyes reflected in the blade as she just stared at it, wondering what she would do next.

…

The turtles, Splinter, and Zog quickly made their way towards the deck, with Leo smirking a bit as they ran.

"Looks like Karai was on the up and up after all." He remarked.

"It must suck to be the 'r' word, huh Raph?" Mikey taunted.

Raph raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"'R' word?" Raph asked.

"Wrong." Mikey answered.

Raph opened his mouth to retort, but honestly couldn't think of anything to say. Luckily, Leo spoke up and saved him the trouble.

"There's one thing I don't get." he commented. "If Karai's not in charge, then who is?"

"Well it clearly isn't Nakumo or Slash." Raph declared.

"Which means someone else has been in command of the Foot tonight." Splinter deduced.

"But who?" Donnie asked. "Who would be able to bring those three together in an attack of this magnitude?"

"Oh, come now Donatello." A familiar and haunting voice taunted, causing them all to stop in their tracks. "Surely you must realize there is only one who can bring this level of vengeance down upon you."

"No…" Splinter dreaded. "It… can't be."

"There ain't no way." Raph let out.

Just then, a cloud of mist engulfed the ship, as it cleared, several Foot Mechs appeared, as well as Bebop, Rocksteady, Tokka, and Rahzar. In the midst of them all, a figure appeared, one with an all too familiar form. Finally, the fog cleared revealing the last person they thought they'd see that night: the Shredder.

"Shredder?!" The turtles all exclaimed.

"He's… back!?" Donnie exclaimed.

"No… no that can't be!" Leo cried out. "I finished you off myself! You… you can't be alive!"

Shredder just laughed in response.

"Fools!" He taunted. "You should have learned by now, nothing can defeat the Shredder. The 'I' you slayed was nothing but a genetic copy, created should anything happen to my original form. This form! Salvaged from the Technodrome, and brought back to glorious life by the Kraang! It is through them I am reborn! Though still… at a price."

Shredder then took off his helmet and revealed his scarred and burned face. The turtles recoiled in disgust.

"And I didn't think this guy could get any uglier." Raph remarked.

"See as I am, for it will be the last thing you will ever see!" Shredder declared, placing his helmet back on. "Foot, attack!"

The Foot Mechs and mutants charged out, causing the turtles to do the same. Leo leapt over one of the Mechs and sliced off its arm, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Whoa, they really are robots." Mikey remarked.

"Yeah, which means we don't have to hold back!" Raph declared, stabbing one in the face.

Tokka suddenly ran up and grabbed Raph by the shell before throwing him aside. Raph slowly got up as Tokka moved towards him.

"Ready for round two, overbite?" He taunted, spinning his sai.

"Always." Tokka hissed, his beak clacking

Raph then ran towards Tokka and leapt up, clocking him in the jaw.

Mikey meanwhile was whacking away every Foot Mech in sight, seemingly unaware that Rocksteady was charging towards him. Before he could reach him though, Zog ran up and barreled into him, knocking him aside.

"Hey!" Rocksteady let out. "No fair!"

"Nobody hurts my friends!" Zog swore.

"Hey, any friend of the turtles," Rocksteady said before punching him in the face. "Ain't no friend of mine!"

Leo meanwhile finished dispatching another Mech as Rahzar pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

"Better stay down, turtle." Rahzar threatened. "Or else things will get ugly."

"Too late for that." Leo remarked, kicking Rahzar in the chest.

Rahzar stumbled back as Leo ran up and kicked him in the face.

Donnie meanwhile was clashing his staff against a Foot Mech's sword. He then activated his staffs blade and stabbed the Mech in the face. Donnie then saw Bebop falling towards him and quickly backflipped out of the way, letting him crush the Mech as he raised his chainsaw.

"I'm gonna cut you into so many pieces, they won't fill up a match box!" Bebop threatened as he brought his chainsaw down on Donnie's staff.

"Hey, watch the Bo Staff, pal!" Donnie remarked as he shoved Bebop off.

He then knocked the chainsaw out of his hands and backflip kicked Bebop on the jaw.

Splinter meanwhile quickly clashed blows with Shredder. Each of them rivaled the other in speed, letting neither one of them land a strike. Finally, Shredder shoved Splinter away, allowing the two long time rivals to circle each other.

"How many times must we do this, rat?" Shredder asked.

"As many as it takes to end your evil." Splinter replied.

"It does seem we both have an uncanny ability to cheat death." Shredder noted. "Let's see how far it will go!"

Shredder then lashed out at Splinter. The rat barely dodged it, allowing him to scratch his arm. Splinter then saw Shredder swinging at him again, causing him to roll under the blow. Seeing some stray rope nearby, Splinter grabbed it and threw one end at Shredder. Shredder held out his arm, causing the rope to wrap around it. Splinter then leapt over Shredder and wrapped the rest of the rope around him before landing on the other side of him and drawing his blade from his stick. Splinter then charged forward with the blade pointing right at Shredder, who quickly brought up his claws to block it. After struggling for a bit, Shredder broke free of the rope and pulled on the end of it, bringing Splinter in close enough for him to knee in the chest and elbow on the head, knocking him to the ground.

"Finally." Shredder let out, raising his claw.

He then brought it down with the intent to kill Splinter, but what happened next shocked him and the turtles watching. From out of the shadows darted a lone figure, a blade coming up to prevent the blow. Both Shredder and Splinter were frozen at the sight of Karai standing over Splinter, glaring at Shredder with steel and determination in her eyes.

"What are you doing?!" Shredder demanded.

"Choosing who I want to be." she answered, shoving him back. "And I will no longer remain silent while you destroy my friends!"

Karai then charged forward and clashed against Shredder's claws.

Meanwhile, Zog threw Rocksteady aside and began moving towards him when Rocksteady discovered a discarded Kraang blaster.

"Had enough?" Zog asked.

"In the words of Captain America, I can do this all day!" Rocksteady declared as he grabbed the blaster.

He then turned towards Zog and started shooting, causing him to duck out of the way. Donnie saw the blaster fire and evaded it as well.

"Stop shooting you lunatic!" He called out. "This tubs a floating powder keg waiting to go off!"

"Listen to him, you imbecile!" Zog warned. "If you hit even one of these barrels, we'll all-!"

Rocksteady ignored them and just continued blasting away. One of the blasts hit a small collection of oil barrels, causing a huge explosion. It ripped through the deck of the ship, causing almost everyone to fall through into the lower level. Only Rocksteady, Bebop, and Mikey remained, with the latter two scowling at the mutant rhino,

"Dude! Seriously?!" Bebop let out.

"Not cool man." Mikey criticized. "Not cool."

"Yeah that's my bad." Rocksteady apologized. "Sorry. I got a little carried away."

…

Down below, everyone was trying to pull themselves out of the burning rubble from the explosion. Raph slowly pulled himself up just as a Foot Mech landed in front of him. He blocked its strikes with his sai as best he could before the Mech kicked him to the ground. As the Mech readied its blade to finish him off, another blade stabbed through its chest. The blade retracted and the mech fell, revealing Karai. She looked down at Raph, offering him a smile.

"Does this make us even?" She asked, helping Raph up.

"Not yet." Raph replied.

Raph then stabbed right behind her, nailing another Foot Mech. Karai turned and saw the Mech fall to the ground before turning back to Raph.

"Now, we're even." Raph said, smirking.

She returned the smirk in kind, then a few more mechs came out, forcing the two warriors back to back. They shared a nod, then began fighting. Shredder slowly pulled himself up as he saw Karai fighting alongside the turtles. His surprise morphed into full blown fury as he turned back to Splinter.

"You." He let out. "You did this!"

Shredder then yelled as he ran at Splinter, letting loose one punch after another.

"You! Are a curse! On my life!" Shredder yelled. "And now you take my daughter from me!"

Splinter then grabbed Shredder's arm and struck him in the head, knocking him back.

"She was never yours!" Splinter chastised.

"I raised her! Cared for her!" Shredder rebutted, leaping towards him with his claws at the ready. "She is mine to me!"

"Splinter!" Zog yelled, running up and knocking Shredder back.

Shredder back flipped onto his feet as Zog came running up.

"Humanoid scum!" Zog chastised, trying to swing at him. "How dare you attack my friends!"

As Zog and Shredder fought, the turtles and Karai ran up to Splinter.  
"Father, are you alright?" Leo asked.

"I am fine." Splinter reassured. "But this place is no longer safe."

"No kidding." Donnie agreed. "We have less than five minutes before this place is a thousand feet underwater."

"You miserable reptiles!" Stockman cried out, causing the turtles to turn towards him. "Look what you've done to my lab!"

"Stockman?" Donnie questioned.

"What's left of him after Nakumo got his hands on him." Karai remarked, shivering in disgust.

"Heh, I was gonna guess he let himself go." Raph remarked.

"Zog, we're moving out!" Mikey called out.

Zog meanwhile, just dodged one of Shredder's attacks before smacking him back.

"You efforts are futile, alien." Shredder told him. "You will never get off this ship alive."

"We shall see!" Zog replied.

Zog then ran up and grabbed Shredder, throwing him into a wall. Before Shredder had a chance to recover, Zog ran up and rammed him into the wall. Once Zog let up, Shredder dropped to his knees and fell to the ground.

"Woo hoo!" Mikey cheered.

"Come, my friends." Zog declared, turning his back to Shredder. "Let's get out of-"

Zog's words were cut off as two blades pierced through Zog's stomach, barely poking out the front.

"Zog!" Mikey cried out.

"No!" Donnie screamed.

Zog then fell to the floor, revealing Shredder standing over him with a bloody claw.

"Triceraton fool! All who oppose me are fated to perish!" Shredder mocked as he extended another claw and walked towards the turtles. "You mutant scum should know that better than anyone."

"You… you monster!" Raph called out.

"I've tolerated you turtles for far too long!" Shredder declared. "Now, I can finally-"

Suddenly, Zog's massive arms wrapped around him, lifting him off the ground.

"Alright, Zog!" Mikey cheered.

"My friends..." Zog choked, stumbling backwards towards a large burning hole in the ground. "I fear… he is right… I will not be… leaving this ship alive..."

"Zog, what are you doing?!" Leo cried out.

"If there… are any honorable Triceratons left…" Zog coughed, struggling to maintain his grip on the Shredder. "Tell them… Zog fought bravely. For his comrades… for honor… for victory!"

Zog then threw himself and Shredder into the hole, seemingly to their deaths. The fire raged, obscuring their bodies from view.

"Oh my god..." Karai gasped, covering her mouth.

"We have to save him!" Raph yelled, trying to run towards them.

"Raph, no!" Leo let out, holding him back. "He's… gone."

"We cannot allow his sacrifice to be in vain." Splinter insisted.

"There are lifeboats up on the main deck." Karai informed them. "If we hurry, we may make it in time."

With that, the six of them made their way to the deck, not noticing a lone hand reaching out of the hole.

…

Once making it topside, they immediately laid eyes on a single undamaged lifeboat. Karai drew two kunai knives from her belt, throwing them at the connecting lines. They severed instantly and dropped the boat into the water.

"Everyone in!" she ordered. "Go!"

Raph, Donnie, Mikey, and Splinter all quickly leapt over the side and into the water. Leo hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Karai. She smiled at him, giving him a nod.

"I'm right behind you." she promised.

Leo paused for a moment before nodding back and leaping over. Karai was about to follow when something grabbed her by the arm and threw her back. She slowly looked up to see Shredder standing before her.

"You aren't going anywhere." He told her.

…

On the water, Leo finally swam up to the lifeboat and climbed in, looking out at the open water.

"Where's Karai?" he questioned. "She said she was right behind me!"

"No sign of her." Donnie replied. "She must still be on the boat!"

"Then we gotta go back before-"

Before Leo could finish, the freighter started exploding, causing the lifeboat to rock heavily. Everyone braced themselves against the boat as flaming wreckage rained down over them. Leo stared out at the wreckage, an expression of horror and soul-crushing sadness on his face. Tears ran down his face as despair washed over him.

"NOO!" He let out.

He dropped to his knees in anguish, pounding his fist on the bottom of the boat. Raph bent down next to him, placing a hand on his shell.

"I'm sorry bro." he said quietly, his own eyes misty. "I really was wrong about her… and I never got the chance to say sorry."

Leo just turned towards Raph, crying into his chest as his brother pulled him closer. Splinter placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as Donnie and Mikey looked towards the wreck.

"Poor Karai…" Mikey let out. "Poor Zog."

"I gotta say, it was nice being able to fight alongside them." Donnie admitted. "True warriors to the end."

"Indeed." Splinter agreed, looking down. "Indeed."

…

Unbeknownst to the turtles above, a small sub slipped away from the wreckage. Inside was Nakumo and Slash, both occupying the helm. While they steered the vessel, Shredder entered the deck. His armor was singed, but he was unhurt. He had Karai by the arm, throwing her to the ground at his feet. She fell hard, looking up at him as he addressed her.

"I raised you. Trained you. Taught you things I have never shown a living soul." Shredder told her. "And THIS is now you repay me?!"

"She is mine to me." Karai whispered.

That made Shredder pause.

"When you and Splinter were fighting, he said that I was never yours." she went on. "You never denied that fact. All you said was 'she is mine to me'."

"What is your point?" Shredder asked.

"Long ago, Leonardo tried to tell me that Hamato Yoshi was my father." she explained, her gaze hardening as she met Shredder's eyes. "I didn't believe him at first, but now..."

She stood up, and much to her surprise, Shredder did nothing to stop her.

"Is it true?" she asked. "Is Hamato Yoshi my father?"

Shredder remained silent for a few moments.

"TELL ME!" Karai screamed.

"... yes." Shredder confirmed. "Hamato Yoshi was your father."

Karai's world just seemed to come to a screeching halt. Her entire body just seemed to tremble, then her gaze hardened. Letting out a scream of unbridled fury, she launched herself at Shredder despite being unarmed. Shredder just backhanded her, knocking her into the wall of the sub hard enough to knock her out. As she slumped to the ground, Shredder just stared at her, his own fist shaking with rage.

"Damn you turtles..." he cursed.


	60. Mutagen Man Unleashed

_My name is Donatello, and while I am a genius at most things, relationships is not one of them. Ever since we met April, I've been head over heels for her. I'd always held out hope that one day I could get her to accept me. Unfortunately, that's been easier said than done. Especially since Casey Jones entered the picture. I'd give anything to show I'm better than that bone-headed troglodyte. Unfortunately, facing down a giant blob of sentient ooze intent on crushing us all might not be the best place for that._

…

Inside his lab, Donnie was working with a small sample of Retro-mutagen he'd managed to save. Though he'd run out of crystals, and the hunt for Kirby O'Neil had taken far more of the stuff he'd anticipated, he'd managed to save enough for one last victim: Timothy. Donnie went over to the jar containing him and opened the top.

"Alright, this may feel a little weird." Donnie told it.

He scooped up a small portion of Timothy's sludgy body, dropping it onto a petri-dish. He then used a dropper to deposit a single drop of retro-mutagen onto the sample. On contact, the sample froze over, covering the entire dish in thick, smoky ice.

"Frozen?" Donnie let out. "That's a new reaction."

He sighed, setting the retro-mutagen aside before turning to face Timothy.

"Sorry, Timothy." he apologized. "Whatever those scientists did to you, it's making it nearly impossible to cure you."

Timothy's face dropped upon hearing that news, his features bobbing in the containment tank that kept his sludgy body together. Donnie saw this and went over to him, placing a hand on the glass.

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna stop trying though." Donnie reassured.

Timothy attempted to talk, but his words were unintelligible, coming out as nothing but bubbles and slimy garbles.

"Oh, right." Donnie remembered, snapping his fingers. "Wanted to give you something."

He went over to his desk and grabbed what looked like a drive in movie speaker. He hooked it up to Timothy's tank, connecting a few wires to the base.

"That should do it." Donnie replied. "Go ahead and try to talk."

"Don… nie…?" Timothy garbled.

"Worked like a charm." Donnie cheered. "Well, for the most part."

"Yo, Donnie." Mikey's voice piped up.

Donnie turned and saw Mikey's head poking into his lab.

"Got a minute?" He asked.

"Sure, what's up?" Donnie replied.

…

Inside his room, Leo just sat in mournful silence. His thought were still on Karai and her apparent death on the freighter just a few days ago. The door was cracked open slightly, the other three turtles looking in at their depressed brother.

"We've gotta do something." Mikey insisted. "I hate seeing him like this."

"Yeah, but what?" Raph asked.

"Probably something to help take his mind off things." Donnie suggested. "I just wish I knew what."

Mikey thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

"I know just the thing!" he declared.

…

Mere minutes later, they managed to get Leo onto the couch as Mikey held up a VHS tape.

"The final episode of Crognard the Barbarian!" Mikey announced. "Guaranteed to cheer up even the mopiest of turtles!"

"Oof, Casey's gonna kick your butt for watching that without him." Raph warned.

"Raph, what's more important?" Mikey asked. "Casey's desire to watch this show, or our brothers emotional state?"

Raph glanced over at Leo, then sighed.

"Play it." he declared.

Mikey placed the tape in the player and took a seat with his brothers on the couch. The episode showed Crognard and his band riding to the edge of a great cliff, a thick fog obscuring everything from view.

" _Crognard,"_ Wizardess spoke as Crognard drew his sword. " _To do battle with the dread dragon wigglepuss from the grey northerern middle mountains of moreorless, is to court destruction!"_

" _Fret not, Wizardess."_ Crognard reassured. " _For I, Crognard the Barbarian, shall fell the dread dragon, and feast upon its entrails!"_

Just then, a large five headed dragon emerged from the fog, all five heads roaring at Crognard. Smooch flew behind Wizardess in fear.

" _Smooch hopes Crognard demolishes that dumb old dragon, smooch smooch."_ He let out.

Crognard swung his sword at the dragon…Only to be promptly eaten by one of the heads. The head let out a belch, Crognard's sword flying out of its mouth, then the credits began to roll. The turtles were all stunned and shocked by the events of the episode.

"That didn't help at all." Leo shared, still astonished.

"You gotta be kiddin me!" Raph exclaimed.

"Unbelievable." Donnie added.

"All those adventures and he just bites it?!" Mikey let out. "Talk about an anticlimax."

Suddenly, the entrance to the lair began to open up.

"Yo, guys!" Casey's voice called out.

"Shoot, it's Casey." Raph let out.

Mikey quickly dove for the remote and turned off the TV, standing in front of it as innocently as he could.

"Casey, hi." Mikey greeted as Casey climbed down the ladder. "What's up?"

"Is April down here?" He asked. "I called her place and her dad said she was training."

"Yeah, she's with Splinter right now." Raph confirmed.

"Sweet." Casey let out before taking a note of Mikey's suspicious position. "Did you watch the Crognard finale without me?"

"What?!" Mikey responded. "No, of course not."

"We know how much you wanted to see that." Raph reassured.

"And even if we did, it'd probably be pretty anticlimactic." Leo added.

Donnie elbowed him in the side when he said that, but luckily, Casey had already walked off, making his way towards the practice area. Over there, Splinter and April were just finishing up with their latest training session. April used a towel to wipe herself off, unintentionally giving Casey a show of her toned muscles.

"Excellent work today, April." Splinter commended.

"Thank you, Master Splinter." she replied, bowing to him.

After bowing back, Splinter walked off, allowing Casey to approach. After picking his jaw off the ground, he walked up to her and opened his mouth to speak. However, he found himself unable to come up with anything to say. Thankfully, April turned around, catching sight of him.

"Oh hey, Casey." She greeted. "Need something?"

"Uh, yeah." Casey finally spoke. "I… was wanting to… ask you something."

"Okay, shoot." she replied.

"Well… ya see…" He tried to explained. "A friend of mine asked me to help with a job out at Coney Island. And I was wondering… you wanna… give me a hand?"

"I'd love to." April replied. "I'll need to pop home and freshen up a bit. Think we could get something to eat before we head out?"

"Sure!" Casey replied quickly before coughing and composing himself. "I mean, yeah. Sounds good."

"Cool." April smiled. "Pick me up around 7?"

"I'll see ya then." Casey replied.

"See ya." April replied, giving a wave as she headed for the lair entrance.

As she left, Donnie just stood there, completely and totally stunned. Casey was in a similar state, but quickly broke out of it with a loud cheer.

"Yes!" he shouted, punching the air. "I did it! I have a date with April!"

"Casey has a date..." Donnie let out. "With April..."

…

Sometime later, the turtles were just chilling in the living room, with Donnie pacing back and forth and Mikey searching on the computer.

"I can't believe it." Donnie let out. "I just can't believe it."

"I know dude." Mikey agreed. "I've search every Crognard fansite on the internet, and they all say that really was the last episode. What a bust."

"I meant Casey and April going out on a date." Donnie countered.

"Yeah, who knew Casey had it in him?" Raph remarked.

"Why him?" Donnie questioned. "Why did it have to be him?"

"I don't see why you're making it a big… Deal…" Raph replied before finally getting it. "No."

"What?" Donnie questioned.

"You honestly think you still have a shot with her?!" Raph questioned.

"Well…" Donnie replied.

"That is so adorable." Raph remarked. "And sad. It's… sadorable."

"It's nothing like that!" Donnie insisted.

"Don, you've been crushing on her since we met her." Leo pointed out.

"Ok, yes." Donnie conceded. "And so what?"

"Dude, even I know it would never work." Mikey declared. "She's a human girl, and you're a mutant turtle."

"Oh, and what about you and Renet?" Donnie accused.

"Renet is a time traveler from a different dimension." Mikey corrected. "Not the same thing."

"How about the fact that she's older than you, Don." Leo chimed in.

"Well… ok, maybe." Donnie tried to reply.

"Look, older or not, mutant or not, it doesn't matter." Raph told him. "I happen to know Casey genuinely likes her. And from the looks of things she feels the same about him. If you really like April, you'll be happy for her and move on."

Donnie just rolled his eyes and brushed past them towards his lab.

"Well… that went well." Mikey commented.

"Yeah…" Leo agreed before turning to his orange banded brother. "Seriously though, that was it? There wasn't a movie or anything?"

"Nope, nothing." Mikey replied.

"Man." Leo let out.

…

Donnie slammed the door to his lab shut, muttering to himself as he stalked towards his desk.

"What do those guys know, anyway?" Donnie grumbled, dropping into his chair. "They just don't get it. I liked her first, cared about her first. Casey… he doesn't deserve her!"

"Don...nie..." Timothy gurgled. "Mad…?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." Donnie replied. "This jerk Casey is taking April, the girl I like, to Coney island!"

"Ap...ril?" Timothy repeated.

"April O'Neil." Donnie explained, holding up a picture of her. "She's been my friend for… well, ever since we met her. I'd always hoped that we'd become more..."

His fist clenched.

"But then _he_ showed up." He let out. "Casey 'puckhead' Jones."

"Casey..." Timothy bubbled. "Jones… bad..."

"That's a good way of putting it." Donnie replied. "Did Casey engineer a cure for April's dad's mutation? No, I did! Ok, we kinda caused it to begin with, but that's not the point."

"April… Donnie… good." Timothy declared.

"Thanks, Timothy." Donnie told him. "I'm glad someone gets me."

He put a hand on Timothy's tank, then turned back to his desk to work on the mutant's specialized retro-mutagen.

"What I wouldn't give for just a chance to be with her though…" Donnie mused.

...

Casey rode his bike up to the 2nd Time around, taking off his helmet and trying to smoothen out his hair. Satisfied with how it looked, he walked up to the front door. Taking a deep breath to settle a sudden onslaught of nerves, he knocked on the door. After a few seconds, April opened the door. She was in the yellow jumpsuit she'd worn a while back, a bandana over her hair and a pair of work boots.

"Whoa..." Casey let out. "You are rocking that jumpsuit."

"I figured if we're going to be doing some mechanical work, it'd be best to wear something that's designed to get dirty." April replied.

"So, you said you wanted to grab a bite first?" Casey recalled.

"Yep." April answered. "I'm starving, though I'm not expecting anything fancy with how we're dressed."

"Well, We can always get some mexican food." Casey suggested. "Nobody ever cares what you wear there."

"Sounds good." April declared.

Casey passed her a helmet, then put on his own as they hopped onto the bike. He revved it up and the two rode off.

...

Back in the lair, Splinter emerged from his room, seeing three of his four sons gathered around their laptop.

"Nothing!" Mikey exclaimed. "Nothing at all. No explanation for that cop out ending!"

"Man!" Raph let out. "What kind of idiot lets a series end on a downer ending like that?"

Splinter let out a cough, drawing their attention.

"Where is Donatello?" he asked.

"He's in his lab." Leo explained.

"Yeah, still moping about April." Raph added. "He's pissed because Casey asked her on a date."

"Raph, that's none of your business." Leo chastised.

"What, it's the truth." Raph insisted. "He's broody and jealous because Casey actually has a chance, and he doesn't."

"Yeah but you don't say that to his face, bro." Mikey told him. "The heart's a soft muscle. Squeeze too hard and you go squish."

"Raphael, there is a saying in Japan." Splinter spoke up. "He who runs his mouth gets a face full of nunchaku!"

"They say that in Japan?" Raph questioned.

"They would if you were there." Splinter replied.

Raph let out a breath before responding.

"Look, I just want Donnie to understand, he's gonna get himself hurt if he keeps this up." Raph told him.

Splinter nodded in understanding.

"Leave that to me." he declared, walking towards Donnie's lab.

As Splinter walked off, Raph could sense Mikey behind him.

"Don't even think about it Mikey." He told him.

Mikey quickly hid his nunchaku behind his back, smiling innocently as Raph turned around.

…

Donnie was bent over his lab table, mixing several chemicals together to see the reaction they had on Timothy's sludge.

"Now let's see, this new solution might react positively with the mutagen mixture if-"

"Donatello." Splinter spoke up, startling the brainy turtle. "Come see me in the dojo."

"But sensei," Donnie tried to protest. "I'm in the middle of-"

"The dojo, Donatello." Splinter interjected. "Now."

"... hai Sensei." Donnie relented, following Splinter out.

As Donnie left, Timothy took note of a vial of mutagen left on the counter. He then stretched his mouth to the top of the jar and carefully opened the lid.

…

Out in the practice area, Donnie stood across from Splinter while the other three watched from the side.

"My son, today I am going to teach you how to enjoy falling down." Splinter told him.

"Enjoy falling down?' Donnie questioned. "How does that-?"

Before he could finish, Splinter dashed behind him and used his stick to sweep him off his feet, knocking him to the ground.

"Did you enjoy that?" Splinter asked.

"No!" Donnie let out. "No I did not!"

"Then let's try again." Splinter replied.

The next few minutes were filled with Splinter knocking Donnie to the ground over and over again. By the time it was over, Donnie was pretty sure his butt was permanently bruised.

"How about now?" Splinter asked.

"No!" Donnie declared. "Sensei, no matter how many times you do it, I'm not gonna enjoy this!"

"So, one cannot make someone like something." Splinter deduced.

"Of course they-!" realization dawned on the purple turtle at that, causing all the bluster to drop from his voice as he looked up at his sensei. "This is about April, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is." Splinter confirmed. "For someone so brilliant, the obvious oftentimes eludes you."

Donnie sagged a bit, prompting Splinter to walk forward and place a hand on his shoulder.

"My son, April has made her choice." He told her. "She chose the one who made her happy, and whom she wishes to be with. To try and force another choice upon her is unfair to both her, and to Casey Jones."

Donnie let out a huff.

"I know… but I still care about her, Sensei." Donnie replied. "How can I just turn that off?"

"You cannot." Splinter admitted. "However, if you truly care for her, you will want what's best for her, even if that best isn't you."

…

Back in Donnie's lab, Timothy's mouth managed to slither over to the table and down the vial of mutagen. This caused the liquid in his tank to turn a bright green, as well as allow him to form large, rippling limps that poured out of the sides of his tank. He let out a gurgled roar, rising to his 'feet'.

…

Back with Splinter and the turtles, a large crashing sound caused the five of them to turn towards it in confusion and worry.

"What was that?" Splinter questioned.

"It came from Donnie's lab!" Mikey cried out.

Donnie rushed over and threw open the doors, seeing a massive hole in the wall and Timothy gone.

"Oh no." Donnie let out. "Timothy's gone!"

"How?" Leo asked. "I thought he was stuck in that container."

"Doesn't matter." Raph insisted. "He's a sludge monster who'll do shell knows what if we don't find him ASAP!"

Donnie looked on the ground and saw the picture of April he showed him earlier. A feeling of dread quickly washed over him in an instant.

"I think I know what he'll do." Donnie told them, grabbing onto a vial of retro mutagen. "Follow me!"

…

It took only a few minutes for the turtles to get to the surface and start running across the rooftops.

"I think Timothy's going after April and Casey." He explained. "I was mad and ranting about how much I hate the guy, and I'm afraid Timothy's going to act on what I said."

"You told your feelings to a jar of organs!?" Raph questioned.

"He's a good listener!" Donnie replied.

"Just how dangerous is Timothy anyhow?" Leo asked.

"Not sure." Donnie replied. "He's never left his jar, and I never tested. But considering how strong Sydney and the others were, it'd be a safe bet that he's stronger than your average human."

"Then we need to get to Coney Island now." Leo insisted. "There's no telling how much damage he'll cause."

"I think there's a shortcut near Lexington!" Mikey recalled. "Follow me!"

"Seriously? What about Park?" Leo questioned.

"No way dude, Park goes two ways." Mikey replied. "You can't time the lights!"

…

At Coney Island, April and Casey walked among the various rides and empty food stalls.

"You know, my dad used to bring me here a lot as a kid." April spoke up. "I'd stuff myself with funnel cakes, then get sick just about every roller coaster this place has."

"Came her quite a bit with my folks too." Casey shared. "Had some real fun times."

"So, what exactly are we working on?" April asked.

"The Ferris Wheel." Casey answered. "It's got a car that's rocking a bit too much for comfort, so we're going to see if we can tighten it up a bit."

"And you needed an extra set of hands for that?" April asked, crossing her arms and smiling.

"Well… I enjoy your company." Casey admitted.

"Aw, Casey." April let out.

The two just stared at each other for a moment, then thunderous footsteps filled the air. The two looked around to try and see where they were coming from, finally catching sight of Timothy plowing down the gates and lumbering towards them.

"April…!" He called out. "Casey… Jones…!"

"What the heck is that thing?" Casey let out.

"I think that's Donnie's blob mutant!" April declared. "The one he kept in his lab!"

"What does it want with us?" Casey questioned.

"Casey… Jones… bad!" Timothy shouted. "Destroy… Casey!"

"That answer your question?!" April exclaimed.

"Yup." Casey replied.

Timothy brought his fist up and tried to smash Casey, but he quickly rolled out of the way before it could hit. Seeing his toolbox on the ground, he dove for it, grabbing the biggest wrench he could find. Once it was in his hands, he charged at Timothy and smacked him repeatedly, causing the sludge mutant to stumble backward.

"Casey… hurt… Timothy..."

"Sorry about that, but you attacked us first." Casey replied. "How about we talk this out like rational-"

Timothy then grabbed the wrench, his hand beginning to bubble as it literally melted the wrench. Casey dropped what was left of the wrench before slowly backing away.

"Acid hands..." he muttered. "Why did it have to have acid hands?"

Timothy stretched out its hand towards Casey, trying to melt him. Before he could make contact though, one of April's tonfas flew through the air and hit Timothy right in the side of his jar.

"Don't touch him!" April shouted.

"April… hurt… Timothy…?" He let out. "Why…?"  
"You hurt Casey, that's why!" She retorted, reclaiming her tonfa. "Now what are you doing here?"

"Want… April… friend…"

"You… want me to be your friend?" April tried.

"Yes…" Timothy told her. "Want… April… Friend…"

"Then why did you attack me?" Casey asked.

Timothy turned to Casey and scowled instinctively.

"Casey… BAD!" Timothy shouted.

Timothy then punched Casey, sending him flying back. He landed right in the middle of a ball toss booth, several plastic bottles raining down on him, as well as several stuffed animals of various sizes. Timothy moved towards him intent on finishing him, but April quickly got in the way.

"Don't touch him!" she snapped.

Timothy turned towards April in surprise, but before he could react, a green foot came out of nowhere and kicked him back. Timothy stumbled back before restructuring himself and seeing Donnie landing on the ground.

"That's enough Timothy." Donnie told him.

"Donnie...?" Timothy let out.

"Timothy you can't hurt Casey." Donnie told him.

"Casey… bad." Timothy seemed to argue.

"No he's not, Timothy." Donnie insisted. "I was just… jealous. Casey's a good guy, and if he makes April happy… then I'm the one who's bad for wanting to come between them. But if you truly care about someone… you gotta want what's best for them, even if it's not what you want."

Timothy seemed to understand for a moment, but then he simply swiped his arm, knocking Donnie aside.

"No!" Timothy declared. "Casey… bad! Turtles… WORSE!"

"What?!" Donnie let out, scrambling to his feet. "I don't understand!"

Before Timothy could make another move, the other turtles leapt down and knocked him back.

"And that was for Crognard!" Mikey declared, landing on the ground.

"You're still not over that?" Leo asked in amused disbelief.

"Aha!" Casey let out. "I knew you watched it without me!"

"Trust me, you didn't miss much." Raph assured him as he went over to Donnie. "You okay bro?"

"Yeah, Donnie replied, getting back up. "But he seems to be mad at us for some reason, and I have no idea why."

"Turtles bad!" Timothy shouted. "Hurt April… Hurt city… just like Kraang!"

The turtles blinked in response.

"Donnie, you didn't happen to mention that we accidentally dropped some mutagen canisters over the city and turned April's dad into a mutant bat, did you?" Leo questioned.

"It… may have come up." Donnie replied hesitantly.

"Don, you're an idiot." Raph declared.

"Yeah yeah, call me out on it later." Donnie replied. "Right now, we need to stop Tim-"

"Mutagen Man!" Mikey interjected.

Everyone just looked at him.

"Dudes, come on." Mikey insisted. "You don't call a giant blob monster with acid hands 'Timothy'."

"Fair enough." Donnie relented. "Right now, we need to stop 'Mutagen Man' before he kills Casey and us!"

Mutagen Man got back up and charged at the group, causing them to scatter. April took the opportunity to run over to Casey, pulling him out of the booth.

"You okay?" she asked

"Yeah, just wishing i'd brought my golf bag." he lamented before picking up one of the balls. "Still, doesn't mean I can't fight."

Casey then chucked a few balls at Mutagen Man, which caused the mutant to turn to him angrily.

"That's right!" Casey shouted. "Over here you bucket of vomit!"

Mutagen Man stormed towards him, ready to pound him into paste. Before he could reach him, April ran up and pounded at his jar with her tonfas, hoping to smash the glass. However, the glass was far too thick to break so easily.

"Come on." April let out. "What's this thing made out of?"

Getting quickly irritated, Mutagen Man made an attempt to grab her. Before he could though, a throwing star collided with his jar and bounced off, getting his attention.

"Over here, Mutagen Man!" Mikey called out.

Mutagen Man turned and saw the turtles running further into the amusement park and decided to give chase. As Mikey ran through the park, he saw a nearby rollercoaster and ran towards it. He ran up the stairs towards it and leapt onto the track. Mutagen Man continued to follow Mikey as Donnie followed behind and made his way towards the controls. He managed to turn the ride on, causing the car to move up the track and towards Mikey and Mutagen Man.

Mikey flipped out of the way as the cars rammed into Mutagen Man hard. Mutagen Man then planted his feet on the track, tearing up several planks before coming to a halt. He then lifted the cars over his jar and threw them at the orange turtle, forcing him to leap out of the way. Mikey landed on the ground, rolling for a few feet before getting back up. He saw Mutagen Man leaping down towards him and started running.

As Mutagen Man attempted pursuit, Raph leapt off of a nearby carnival game and landed on top of Mutagen Mans jar, slashing at it with his sai. He managed to pierce through the lid, yanking it off. Before he could do anything more, Mutagen Man grabbed him by the ankle, slamming him into the ground at least three times. He then tossed Raph aside, causing him to crash into a dumpster hard.

"Isn't there anything that can stop this thing?" Leo questioned.

Donnie thought for a moment, until a thought came to mind.

"Well… there is one thing." Donnie answered, pulling the retro mutagen vial from his belt. "But this will freeze him entirely. It could kill him!"

"Donnie, whatever Mutagen Man- Timothy was before, is gone now." Leo told him. "All that's left is a mindless monster who won't stop until it kills all of us!"

Donnie looked torn, watching Mutagen Man literally throw his brothers around like they were rag dolls. Steeling his resolve, he clenched his fist around the vial of retro-mutagen.

"I'm sorry, Timothy." he whispered.

He then ran towards Mutagen Man full force. Mutagen Man saw this and tried swinging at him, but Donnie leapt over the swing and on top of the jar before pouring the entire vial into the sludge mutant's container. The effects were almost instantaneous, the sludge turning a bright blue as ice formed across the entire container. The sludge expanded, shattering the glass of the container as the metal buckled, the acid hands freezing as well until Mutagen Man was left as nothing more than a frozen statue. Donnie looked at the frozen mutant, letting out a mournful sigh.

"I tried to help him..." he muttered. "Maybe… maybe I didn't try hard enough."

"You did all you could, Don." Leo reassured, placing a hand on his shell. "That's all any of us can do."

"Yeah…." Donnie replied.

"Hey, it's not all bad, dude." Mikey said, patting Mutagen Man's frozen back. "I'm sure you can thaw him out and-"

Unfortunately, his patting knocked Mutagen Man forward, the entire thing falling down and shattering on impact. All that was left was the metal container, now just holding broken shards of frozen sludge.

"Uh… oops." Mikey let out. "My bad."

"We'd… better go." Leo decided.

"Uh… you guys go ahead." Donnie told them. "I got something I need to do."

"Do what you gotta do, Donnie." Leo told him.

With that, Leo, Raph, and Mikey took off, while Donnie took a deep breath and approached April. She was helping Casey, who took one look at the purple turtle and knew what was about to go down.

"I'll go find a broom for this mess." He declared, walking off and leaving the two alone.

The two stared awkwardly at one another for what felt like forever. Finally Donnie got the nerve to speak up.

"April…" He said. "Well… I'm not entirely sure how to say this…"

April sighed.

"I know you've had a crush on me since we met." she told him.

"You knew?!" Donnie let out.

"It was kind of obvious." She told him, shrugging slightly. "For a ninja, you kinda stink at hiding the obvious."

Donnie lightly groaned as he facepalmed.

"Ok, yeah." Donnie relented. "I do like you. But I also get that you probably don't feel the same for me."

April gave him a small smile.

"Donnie, you're a sweet guy." she told him. "You've saved my life more times than I can count, and you're the best friend I could ever ask for. But, it would never work between us. Not just because we're a different species, but I'm also seven years older than you."

"Yeah that thought… did come up." Donnie replied. "But I've also realized that truly caring for someone means wanting what's best for them. Even if that best isn't you. So if Casey truly makes you happy…"

He trailed off, unable to bring himself to finish his declaration. April took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She then turned back towards where Casey had gone, her hand slowly leaving Donnie's. Donnie watched her go before slowly walking away himself.

…

Down in the lair, the turtles were hanging in front of the TV as Mikey flipped through the channels. As they sat there, Donnie came down the lair entrance and walked towards them.

"Hey, there he is." Raph let out, turning towards him. "How ya doin?"

Donnie just let out a long, agonizing groan before face planting onto the couch. Raph winced.

"That bad, huh?" he asked.

"Yup." Donnie confirmed. "But it needed to be done."

"It'll get better." Raph reassured. "Maybe you'll find a nice mutant girl out there that'll recognize what a catch you are."

"Right now, I'd take another alien invasion over any more girl trouble." Donnie declared.

As Mikey flipped through the TV channels, he stopped at one upon seeing a very familiar shape.

"Uh, I'd say you just got your wish, Don." Mikey let out.

The others turned to the TV and saw none other than the Triceraton Homeworld just outside of earth's orbit. All four turtles just stared in shock and horror, until Raph said what they were all thinking.

"Aw shell."

…

Onboard the Triceraton Homeworld, Zanramon sat in his throne overlooking the planet as Mozar came in with a report.

"Prime Leader, we have tracked the Fugitoid's Transionic signature to this planet." Mozar reported.

"Excellent." Zanramon replied. "Begin the Invasion!"


End file.
